Showing posts with label Pictures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pictures. Show all posts

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Reminiscing Before I Sleep

It's 2:00 am right now but even if I am already very sleepy, nostalgic memories are overtaking me. I can't help but let out a heavy sigh as I remember all the people who made my life fun and interesting.

When I left the Philippines for Canada, I left a very important part of who I am, my pride and joy of being a nursing student. Sure the sleepless nights and stressful tests and projects where nerve wracking but at the end of the day I wouldn't choose any other way to live my life. I am still proud to be a nursing student but I wonder how the feeling of being a student nurse would be without the people (my colleagues... my friends) who have made me strong to endure the hardships of nursing.


You see these people in this picture? These are my group mates and we went through all sorts of hardships together. We fought, we cried, we laughed, we shared dreams, we said goodbyes...

And my friends... I miss my friends. These are the people who accepted me for who I am and decided to stick with me even if I was moody and a bit unreasonable. They said good bye but this doesn't mean that we won't see each other again...



My friends... who shared my interests and likes... who believed in my skills and in my abilities... who believed that I can be who ever I want to be... we painted beautiful memories...

And of course my beloved Missy, who I loved unconditionally even if she jumps and bites me at times... you will always be in my heart...I may have left big chunks of me in the Philippines that it's really unbearable and that I feel depressed and empty. But I brought with me something that will overcome my loss and loneliness... my will to finish what I started and the hope that someday I will come back to the Philippines and be reunited with the people who have helped verify my existence... because with out them... I would be nothing.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Shaman King

During the past few days of being jobless I have been keeping myself by watching some good Japanese Animation or anime. I was watching Shaman King, an anime series which I didn't have the chance to finish watching during high school because my life was dedicated to studying back then (ewe... how nerdy hehehe).

Anyway I'm almost finish watching Shaman King and what could I say? It's a great anime! Some people would say that anime are just for kids or it's nonesense but it does have some special messages like do what you must to achieve your goals, but never ever think that it's ok to step on anyone to reach your goals. I know, it's not that inspiring coming from me but watching Shaman King is inspiring for me and it fits the genre of the movies and games that I love watching and playing: fantasy & supernatural.

It is through watching anime that I am released from this world, worrying about nothing. But I do know that I need to face reality, such a troublesome fact.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

The Soda Machine

My mom, brother, and me went to IKEA, a local furniture and home furnishing store, at Edmonton South Common. We were bringing the items we bought to the home delivery counter when my brother and I spotted this neat looking vending machine. Well because there aren't any sophisticated vending machines like this ones in the Philippines we were definitely curious and ignorant too hehehe.
So like any curious people we wanted to try using it and guess what? We were successful and got our selves some iced tea. And here we are looking happy and content because instead of getting one iced tea we got two for the price of one.

I guess that there is something wrong with the machine because the note in front of it warns that the machine sometimes eats money and doesn't drop any drink. Guess we were lucky today.

Anyway while I'm already posting pictures I just want to share this picture of my henna tattoo that my co-worker made for me. Isn't it cool?

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Nursing Life Flashback

Here are some pictures my Clinical Instructor sent me and I wanted to share it with the rest of the world. Again, thank you Ma'am Asne for these. ^_^

Friday, July 4, 2008

Our New Apartment... Our Home

These are some pictures of our new apartment. It still has no furniture though... Just some Whirlpool Appliances like a dishwasher, stove & oven, microwave, refrigerator, and washing Machine & dryer which all came with the apartment. Hope we could move in this week already.

I really love our apartment, it seems so cozy and it's just near the mall and the transit center so life is pretty easy. I just hope that July 24 could come already so that our money from the Philippine banks could already be cleared so that we could fill our apartment up with more accessories and decorations so that we could truly call it our home... do you know what I mean?

Anyway I still have work so I'll cut it short here.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

My New Neighborhood

Welcome to Mill Woods, Edmonton, Alberta! This is our new home and we're already making our selves familiar with the place. Just don't ask me how to get to downtown because I only know how to get to the University of Alberta, other than that I really have no idea at all.

So thanks to Google Maps, our lives are made easier since we could easily find directions to the destinations that we want to go to. It really is so convenient. Anyway there's a map of the location near our going-to-be apartment. So the red x mark is The Madison that's where we're going to live hopefully. Our apartment is really nice but we're not going to move in until July 1. Our apartment is a two bedroom apartment with two bathrooms. It has a balcony, a laundry "room", and an underground parking so we don't have to worry about the car not starting up during winter.

Here's a picture that we took of the building:
Here's the picture of the transit center (it's the yellow cross onthe map) and a picture of the inside of the bus:
We're quite lucky to live near a transit center because from here we could go to everywhere in Edmonton that we would want to go to and the ticket is only for $2.10 and you get a transfer pass (which expires 1 and a half hour after you got on the bus) if you want to go back.

Plus life is so convenient because the Mill Woods Town Center (which you can't miss on the map) is there:
The shopping center is the largest one near our area and don't be mislead by it's country charm because this mall is very cool even for a one-level mall. Check out this touch screen interactive mall directory:
With mall directories like these you would never get lost. You can just browse through the stores or enter the store your looking for and the directory tells you where you are and directs you with walking feet display from where you are to the store you want to go to.

But most important of all is that the Tim Hortons where I work in, which is shown in the green line, so I don't have to worry about missing the bus or anything and it's also safer because I live so close and my shift is 3-11 pm.

I think I'm going to adjust here... hopefully.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

BF Homes Duplex Apartment For Rent

Just yesterday, my Tita, my brother and I went to her other house in BF Homes - Mariposa, Las Piñas to check it out since my Tita is planning to have it rented. We also went there to check up on her employee who was 9 months pregnant and supposedly over due but I'll reserve that for another post.

So I was tasked to take pictures and post ads on the internet for her Apartment. I went to check out the said apartment and I have to say that it is a great looking apartment and the price she set for it was very reasonable.

Here are the descriptions of the said apartment/duplex:
  • Location: BF Homes - Mariposa, Las Piñas, Manila
  • Type: 2-Storey Duplex Apartment
  • It has two bedrooms each with it's own bathroom and each with built-in cabinets
  • There is another bathroom at the ground floor (so that's a total of 3 bathrooms)
  • The apartment has perimeter walls and gates and the windows have bars
  • It has it's own parking space inside the lot.
  • It has a terrace with a great view.
  • It has a laundry area.
For more info please visit the blog that I've made for it:

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

David Vetter - The Boy in the Bubble

This is David Vetter and he is well known as The Boy in the Bubble. You would see here in this picture his innocence and his youth... but all of that is slowly going to fade away...

You see David was born with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) meaning he has no immune system. The common cold could kill him and therefore he must continue to live in a sterile germ-free environment, a bubble free of germs.

David was a happy and kind boy but as he matured and grew his emotions became more mature for a young boy. He wasn't a teenager yet but he was already becoming to have these dark moods and he wanted to be alone because he felt that he had no where else to go... he was going to die... there was no need to continue on living...

He was trapped in a cage as he saw his childhood friends and family members growing up and leaving him to explore the world and live their own lives. David was actually built a space suit so that he could explore the world around him. But he was always terrified to leave his bubble because if he was exposed even a tiny bit with a leak in his space suit he could die.

My heart was totally crushed as this young boy faced so much hardship but he remained strong and made it up to the age of 12. But sadly even though his doctors tried to save him, he still died after a bone marrow transplantation. The operation was a success but they weren't able to detect that the bone marrow harbored inactive viruses that caused a tumor which in turn caused massive hemorrhaging in David's intestines...

Seeing David suffer for so long emotionally for so long was heart wrenching... I am thankful that with our technology today 90% of newborns with SCID are successfully treated and doesn't have to live a life in isolation.

When David died, it was the first and last time that his mother was able to touch him...

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Angel the Miniature Pinscher


Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you Angel the Miniature Pinscher! Nope she’s not a replacement for Missy (because there would only be one dog in my life and that’s my Missy). Angel belongs to my mom’s cousin and we’re staying with her in Makati at her place while we wait for our seminar. What I find cute with Angel is that she can really bark loud for a small toy dog. This dog could be mistaken for a toy indeed as she was very small! This has been my first time to actually see a toy dog, the toy dog I could see on TV was Paris Hilton’s dog. But Angel is quite fashionable don’t you think wearing that pink dress and a gold necklace.

My Tita Marlyn (Angel’s owner) said that dogs were not allowed in their building but she could easily pass through the lobby without Angel being noticed. She just had to place Angel in her handbag, Lol!




Angel is the perfect Toy Dog to put in your bag and tag along while you walk and buy stuff at the local designer stores like Paris Hilton hahaha!
Awe... I miss my own angel, Missy the Doggie...

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

On Traveling

Traveling may be the best source of great blog ideas ever! While traveling to Manila and Cebu I had encountered frustrations, amazement, and just the unexpected. I had brought with me my laptop during my travels but I don’t seem to have any luck finding a Wi-Fi hotspot so that I could update my blog. I’ll just have to post my updates when I get to connect to the internet. In the meantime I just have to be contented typing down my thoughts and daily experiences on Microsoft Word and just publish it later. I still do have “future-dated posts” ready so that my blog could be updated even when I’m not connected to the internet.

So please accompany me as I share my travels… “sakay na” (hop on aboard)! ^_^





Thursday, May 8, 2008

The Reunion

Here are the three special doggies that I have been talking about in my precious posts:

This one is Puppy. She's the mother of all doggies (joke ^_^). She's Missy's and Polly's Mom:

And here is Polly, Missy's Sister:

And of course my beloved angel: MISSY!
The three doggies were just like people when they met each other. I don't know why but it seems that they had forgotten that they once played with each other. Maybe their scents already changed or what. But anyway just like humans, they were checking each other out and trying to size each other. Puppy, Missy's mom was very aggressive towards Missy but a little later Missy barked back at Puppy and that instant Puppy knew that Missy is not to be belittled. She may be the skinniest but she's the most experience d fighter (joke! Missy is a lover not a fighter, Lol!).

But unlike people who talk behind each others backs and back bite each other, dogs tend to express what they truly feel. Missy does not want to be sniffed around and licked so she tends to bark out if she's irritated. But they don't bite each other, so that's good.

So my beloved Missy... hope you have fun in your new home. Don't worry about us ok? I love you my Missy pooh! ^_^

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Student Nurse to Doctor Relationships

Before you think that this is some post about a love interest between a student nurse and a doctor I might just as well inform you beforehand that this is not what you're thinking. Besides the student nurse me and the doctor is a guy so definitely no. this is an experience that I would want to share with you guys.

I always get jittery whenever doctors are around, but being on duty at the operating room even made things worst and I was very jumpy. The doctors in the operating room were very nice and I was a bit at ease but I was also nervous because it was my first time to scrub-in in an actual operation. The surgical procedure was only a minor case, just an excision of a fibroadenoma at the left breast. A fibroadenoma is a non-cancerous benign lump that is found in breast tissue. When felt under the skin, the lump may feel rubbery and easily moveable within the breast tissue. Fibroadenomas are commonly found in young women during their reproductive years (New York Times). It's caused by normal estrogenic fluctuations (Wikipedia) and it could be removed with out any worries.

The tumor looked like this when removed. The surgeon was very skillful! Even with lacking instruments (the operation wasn't held in the main hospital mind) he was able to make use of his fingers and got that tumor our perfectly! What even made this doctor, Dr. Perez, even more amazing is that he took nursing as his pre-med course! Wow that is really amazing! I even learned a lot from him and he was so nice and showed me a cosmetic style of suturing so that scarring could be put to a minimum. What did I tell you? Amazing!

Well I was very lucky that I was around very understanding doctors because I was stuttering (oh I hate myself) and I was being jumpy! Imagine? I called the doctor Ma'am! And the doctor was a guy! Oh oh... good thing the conversation was about a female clinical instructor at Xavier University. Ooh I am so dead!

Thinking of the things I did that they makes me want to kill myself. The doctor was talking to my colleague and I interrupted their conversation because I needed more suture (I was the scrub nurse so I was sterile). Oops, sorry doc! I did not notice that you guys had a conversation (why didn't I ask my other colleagues instead?).

Ooh I am such a mess! But at least the operation was a success and it was all thanks to Dr. Perez! hehehe.

But a thought comes into my mind. Why do doctors want to be called Doctor and not sir? Isn't sir a sign of respect? But maybe it's because the word "sir" is equated to nurses and patients. Oh now I get it hehehe. ^_^

Everyone: Smile! ^_^


You just have to love the creativity of people these days. You can't help but just be amused and admire the unexpected talents of people. Just like the picture above. If you're wondering, that's actually his real teeth decayed from eating too much chocolates and other sweets. He's using the new Colgate Fresh Confidence toothpaste to bring back the shine and whiteness of his teeth.

No I'm just fooling around. This isn't actually his real teeth. That's just some toy dentures made to look like real rotten teeth. Realistic isn't it? And the model's expression fits the whole picture perfectly.

But this should serve as an important reminder to children of all ages out there that they should never neglect proper oral hygiene because they might soon get the same teeth like the ones shown above, and this time it won't be just a toy dentures.

So kids, if you don't want rotten teeth brush at least three times a day with any toothpaste that is rich in flouride to protect your teeth from cavities and tooth decay.

***Image Notes: The image shown above is the property of Jazzper Samson and is originally found at http://profiles.friendster.com/jazzazzkickr. Please take note that the image has been modified to be funny. ^_^


Tuesday, April 29, 2008

The Attack of Missy the Doggie

This is one of my best writing so far that I have done in my blogging life that is related to health. ^_^ Just thought that I would share it again with everyone.

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I have a cute doggie called Missy and she's very hyperactive! But there are times that she's calm and just lays around sleeping. Sometimes I think that she might have Bipolar I disorder but again how would I know? A Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) for dogs doesn't exist... yet hahaha!


As I was saying, Missy has these manic times and it's quite alarming! She runs back and forth and then she jumps on you! Good thing she's not that big. One thing that is quite alarming is she loves to bite as her sign of affection. Ouch that's a painful way to say you like someone.

It's a good thing though that we have already vaccinated Missy with Anti-Rabies. Rabies (Latin: rabies, "madness, rage, fury") by the way is a viral zoonotic neuroinvasive disease that causes acute encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) in mammals (Wikipedia).

The first symptoms of rabies may be nonspecific flu-like signs — malaise, fever, or headache, which may last for days. There may be discomfort or paresthesia at the site of exposure (bite), progressing within days to symptoms of cerebral dysfunction, anxiety, confusion, agitation, progressing to delirium, abnormal behavior, hallucinations, and insomnia. The acute period of disease typically ends after 2 to 10 days (6). Once clinical signs of rabies appear, the disease is nearly always fatal, and treatment is typically supportive (CDC).

The virus is spread through the saliva so if your pet is infected and your pet licks you and you have breaks in your skin, you could be infected! You don't have to be bitten to be infected! It could also be spread through aerosol (or saliva droplets when your dog barks) or when you touch contaminated items.



Anti-rabies vaccines are always available at health centers for free so if you are bitten by any animal always consider that animal rabid! Wash the wound, apply antiseptics, and rush to the nearest health center or hospital. Don't wait until the symptoms progress and it's too late!

And also, be responsible pet owners! Have your pets vaccinated and don't allow them to stray outside (they can get rabies from stray dogs).

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Operating Room Experience





The Operating Room (OR) rotation at Xavier University Community Health Care Center (or more commonly known as German Doctors Hospital) was very fun and memorable. It was unfortunate thought that we weren't able to get inside the OR during the first week of duty because there were Australians who were on a sort of medical mission surgically repairing cleft palates, hare lips, and etc. It was cruel but they only allowed two student to scrub in and it was unfortunate that I wasn't one of the two. So what was I doing during the first week? We had to be in the Interplast Ward and gave preoperative care to the patients waiting to be called in the OR. In short, we just stood there and took vital signs every four hours or so.

But I was lucky enough to get a minor surgical case. An excision of a fibroadenoma at the left breast. It was a pretty quick operation, around 15 minutes, and every moment was really amazing. The surgeon took up nursing as his pre-med course and he was very skillful and nice. It was a shame but I broke my sterility but the nurse and surgeon were very understanding that this was my first time and all. But after my first assist in a surgical operation everything seemed ok although I have to admit that I still have a lot to learn especially making nurse's notes (hahaha).

I also had the opportunity to be a circulating nurse for one of those cataract-removing-lens-replacing surgeries (which is PECLE, in medical terms, or Planned ExtraCapsular Lens Extraction). It was really amazing how the doctor used microscopic instruments to do the procedure. At first I thought he was just playing with his hands but then I remembered that he was using a suture that was very fine and could only be seen with the use of a microscope.

It was unfortunate that my group mates and I only had a few cases but it wasn't totally that bad because we were able to use that extra time to bond and improve our team work and such.

The OR rotation may be one of my favorite rotations so far, aside from the delivery room rotation, and the pediatric rotation where I was all of the sudden assigned to a patient in the intensive care unit.

Note: We were allowed to bring our cameras and cellphone inside the operating room to document the procedures. No patient confidentiality was breached in these pictures.

Additional Note: There was no patient in the operating room when the student nurses were happily taking pictures of themselves.