I Signed Up for SocialSpark!

I have a lot of online profiles on the internet from several different socializing websites and I have to say that they're all the same and I get tired over them in just a week or so. I just pimp my profile so that it would look good and see who my friends in my e-mail address book are members and add them up to my friends list.

But I have signed up for one socializing website that is completely unique and very interesting indeed and truly deserving of the name SocialSpark!

That's right this new community is for bloggers, like me, who love to blog and love to meet other cool people in the process! And guess what? We also get paid for giving out our 100% truthful opinions for any products that we choose. We could also write about other blogs of fellow bloggers and in turn you could have your blog be reviewed. This way more traffic could be driven to your blog.

What's more interesting about SocialSpark is that your blog could be sponsored and you get paid per day! Being sponsored means that there is a note at the bottom part of your blog saying that this blog is sponsored. It's actually really cool and it feels good to let other people know that you are being sponsored for blogging.

I have already met up with some of my old blogging friends here at SocialSpark and we invite you to join in our exclusive community for bloggers who are very serious in expressing themselves and voicing out their opinions.

Extraneous Variables

I don't know why I hate her... no I don't hate her that's too harsh of a word. More like, I dislike her and I don't know why. I can't be fake but I can't stand it when I'm around her. Who am I talking about? No other than my brother's girlfriend. Actually I never did like my brother's girlfriends ever since I caught my brother alone with one of her friends in my parents room alone with the door locked. I don't think so that a genius is needed to guess what they were trying to do.

Sure this present girlfriend is better than her past girlfriend who was a liar, obsessed, and manipulative [censored]. Imagine she had the nerve to talk back to my mom (well just through SMS really) but if ever she talked back to my mom and I was there I would wring her neck!

Sure the present girlfriend somehow helped my brother get through high school and has become my brother's new bodyguard/slave I still don't like her and I don't know why.

There were two occasions that was supposed to be only a family affair when she was around and I was pissed off. My mom invited her of course but I'd rather be not included in activities that she is included like the outing to Obrero and my mom's birthday dinner.

I don't know why but I don't really like any of my brother's friends and I don't know why... is it because I'm anti-social? Or is it because his friends are I are just in a completely different wavelength.

Maybe this is why there are people I can't relate to because of this "wavelength" thing...

I know people who are just like me so maybe this time I kind of respect them more since well, they're like me.

The Death of My Patient

I actually didn't know how to feel when my patient died. It was a sort of mixed emotions that were so strong that I wanted to run away somewhere far. I was so helpless as I watched my patient die. Like I know that sooner or later he was going to die. He had the classic clinical signs of shock like cold clammy skin, he was diaphoretic, his pupils were dilated, and he had consistently low blood pressure. Imagine, I had to re-check if I had the right BP taking because his BP was 40/20 mmHg and this was the first time I've ever encountered this low BP. I was at first excited and happy even that I was experiencing so many new procedures that a normal student nurse could encounter in a medical ward. I was able to assist in inserting a catheter, a nasogastric tube, and I was able to insert an IV fluid as a side-drip. On that same day I was able to observe the insertion of an endotracheal tube and I was able to compress an ambu bag (bag-valve-mask). I have also observed suctioning procedures and even nasogastric tube feeding. My patient was transferred from the medical ward into an (intensive care unit) ICU and of course my partner and I had to go with him. If I didn't have a partner at that time I wonder if I would have survived. we monitored his vital signs every hour, we monitored his O2 Saturation, his ECG, his infusion pump, and he even had a ventilation machine since he was already in coma.

I had a gut feeling that he would die. I just knew it. He had 3 consecutive cardiac arrests and the ward would constantly have to call a cold blue. It was just like in the movies where nurses would inject epinephrine or atropine so that his heart would start beating again. But I just wondered why they never used the defibrilator to revive the patient, they just used the standard CPR. On the third arrest the doctor finally announced the patient dead. I was still deflating and inflating the ambu bag valve mask like crazy because I didn't know whether to continue or just stop. The family of the patient already started crying and their mother called her other children saying that their father had died.

It was weird, I was at first doing procedures to save his life... and then a few hours later I had to remove the tubes and connections that where keeping him alive...

But somehow I don't feel pity for him. Death may be scary and all but he saw it coming. My patient was an alcoholic, drinking too much everyday. I can already imagine him going home late at night drunk and very violent. When you're drunk you become to do stupid things and this has been proven by so many people already. He drun k himslelf to death. That is all that I can say. He had drank so much alcohol that the veins in his liver grew larger until they finally bursted. He had an upper GI bleeding and he literally vomited blood (hematemesis). He went into coma and I guess he died from the bleeding.

Here is a lesson to all alcoholics out there. You just don't kill yourself from drinking. You destroy your family and you become a menace to society when alcohol reaches your brain and you start being stupid. Domestic violence and some crimes happen when people are drunk. Stop drinking!

I don't know why people love to kill themselves. I also had another patient who said that he will stop smoking for a while because he has difficulty breathing and he has blood tinged phlegm. Stop for a while? Why not stop totally? He has been smoking for 30 years (started at age 12) and he hasn't learned that it does nothing good? He's not only killing himself too. His family and the people around him are the ones who are twice affected by his smoking.

Bad vices gets you no where. They may at least make you feel good (as some people say - I wonder how and why) but the outcomes aren't that good. My point? Nothing is gained from smoking and drinking. So too our dragons and drunkards out there have pity on your loved ones. They suffer more than you do.

What Causes Liver Damage?

I received this e-mail from my mom. She always sends me e-mails about anything that relates to good health.

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The main causes of liver damage are:

1. Sleeping too late and waking up too late are main cause.
2. Not urinating in the morning.
3. Too much eating.
4. Skipping breakfast.
5. Consuming too much medication.
6. Consuming too much preservatives, additives, food coloring, and artificial sweetener.
7. Consuming unhealthy cooking oil. As much as possible reduce cooking oil use when frying, which includes even the best cooking oils like olive oil. Do not consume fried foods when you are tired, except if the body is very fit.
8. Consuming raw (overly done) foods also add to the burden of liver. Veggies should be eaten raw or cooked 3-5 parts. Fried veggies should be finished in one sitting, do not store.

We should prevent this without necessarily spending more. We just have to adopt a good daily lifestyle and eating habits. Maintaining good eating habits and time condition are very important for our bodies to absorb and get rid of unnecessary chemicals according to "schedule."

Because:

Evening at 9 - 11 pm: is the time for eliminating unnecessary/toxic chemicals (detoxification) from the antibody system (lymph nodes).This time duration should be spent by relaxing or listening to music. If during this time a housewife is still in an unrelaxed state such as washing the dishes or monitoring children doing their homework, this will have a negative impact on health.

Evening at 11pm - 1 am: is the detoxification process in the liver, and ideally should be done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 1 - 3 am: detoxification process in the gall, also ideally done in a deep sleep state.

Early morning 3 - 5 am: detoxification in the lungs. Therefore there will sometimes be a severe cough for cough sufferers during this time. Since the detoxification process had reached the respiratory tract, there is no need to take cough medicine so as not to interfere with toxin removal process.

Morning 5 - 7 am: detoxification in the colon, you should empty your bowel.

Morning 7 - 9 am: absorption of nutrients in the small intestine, you should be having breakfast at this time. Breakfast should be earlier, before 6:30am, for those who are sick. Breakfast before 7:30am is very beneficial to those wanting to stay fit. Those who always skip breakfast, they should change their habits, and it is still better to eat breakfast late until 9 - 10am rather than no meal at all.

Sleeping so late and waking up too late will disrupt the process of removing unnecessary chemicals. Aside from that, midnight to 4:00 am is the time when the bone marrow produces blood. Therefore, have a good sleep and don't sleep late.

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My Thoughts: I'm guilty of sleeping late and waking up late! I better do something about this if I don't want my liver to be damaged.

Breast Augmentation

We can't deny this because the truth is, someone's appearance is important. We all are guilty of favoring or liking someone who looks better than someone who is ordinary looking. Even in job interviews, those who look smart are given more importance. The personality and intelligence comes second when we get to know the person more.

Even in relationships, we all want someone who has great personality but when we are given a choice who to get to know, Ms. Beautiful or Ms. Ugly, we would choose the beautiful first (this goes to women too). So how do we let people know us and appreciate us when they don't even notice us?

They say that beauty is based on culture. And our culture states that beauty is defined by a slender sexy waist & full rounded breasts. We see the women on TV right? They are the ones that our culture says are beautiful. And we all know that they wouldn't have achieved that beauty without the help of science & modern technology: plastic surgery.

Yup the Hollywood stars and famous models have all been under the knife and they look more beautiful than they were. So where do you go for a complete make-over? No other than Beverly Hills!

If you have a problematic waist line and are afraid of going to the beach then a tummy tuck in Beverly Hills the quick solution to your problems. And if you want a rounder and larger breasts then Beverly Hills breast augmentation is the way to do it.

Some people would say that natural beauty is better but women today are empowered to make their own decisions. Women have the right to do something so that they would feel better about themselves by looking better. Science empowers women to take control of their lives and change their appearances for the better with plastic surgery.

The Kid's Question Tag

Got this tag from my Top 1 Favorite Blogger (who is also my Most Frequent Hopper), Juliana aka Mrs. Arm-Pit-Bull. Thanks Juliana! ^_^ This tag was actually for my Grim Angel blog but because I'm mean and greedy I want my way to be done hahaha!

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Kid's Question Tag!



1. Answer the Kid’s Question by Gregory Stock, PH.D. Remember: Don’t respond as you think others want you to. Respond the way you actually feel!
2. Add your name (linked to your blog)
3. Tag everybody else!

Kid’s Question #1
If you were the ruler of the world and you could have anything you wanted as well as have people do anything you wanted, do you think you would get greedy and mean or would you be a good and fair ruler?

My Answer:

Of course I'd be a good and fair ruler. But this is only because I want my people to be happy and content so that I could get what I want from them hahaha! I want them to think that I was a goody-goody so that they would love me and so that I could have the power I need with out the fear of revolts and uprisings.

I am a natural greedy and mean ruler but to keep society in check I have to say I'm good. But in the strange ways of the universe, being greedy and mean brings out improvement and even good? How? Take a look at businessmen for example. Their main objective is not for the benefit of the people rather it's for income and more money. If they didn't want to earn, their products will never improve because they wouldn't waste time, effort, and money on enticing buyers to buy their products.

Jhong, Alpha, Women Xplore, Em, Something Purple, Our Journey to Life, My Planet Purple, Princess Bela, Princess Vien, cookie jar of entertainment, allinkorea, kim, idealpinkrose, korean food, Jackie's Everyday Life, Jackie Simply Pinay, A Whole New World, Tasteful Voyage, A Mom's note, There's no place like home, The Girlicious side of a woman, My Online Journal, Thoughts Of Me, Precious Words, In My Kitchen, Em, Something Purple, Bigeyedgal, Chronic Shopper, A Simple Life, Hailey's Beats and Bits, ,Hailey's Domain, PinayWAHM, Teacher's Corner, Angel in the Sickroom, Grim Angel, Your Link Here

And I tag everyone (hahaha did I take it literally?)! Yup everyone who reads this post. If you want to take this tag then go ahead and be my guest. ^_^

On Blogrolls and Exchanging Links

Wooh! I guess I have to go to sleep now. It's already 1:08 AM in the morning and I'm only half way through my adding of links process. I'm informing my present blogging buddies that I have a new blog (this one ^_^) and that I'm going to stop updating my other blog, My Nurses Notes, and allow it to die a natural death before I completely delete it. I'm still going to retain my Grim Angel blog though since I can't delete my original baby, my first blog since June 17, 2005!

So to my blogging friends please update your links and change http://mynursesnotes.blogspot.com to http://blog.edgarvincentbautista.com. You may ask me why I didn't just redirect my My Nurses Notes to my own domain. The answer would be I want to create a new blog from scratch. Sure that would be time consuming and tiring but it sure does feel good to see your newly created blog grow and slowly get traffic and meet people who appreciate you and your work.

And to all those people who wants to link me, I welcome you with open arms and open legs (Lol!). But please do patient if I don't reply to you right away since I might still be updating my links from my old blogging friends.

To all bloggers in the Blogosphere: Happy Blogging to all of Us! ^_^

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.

Overpopulation. Be a Solution.

I sternly believe that overpopulation is the cause of poverty. In the Philippines, the country where I grew up in, the population of the poor outnumbers the rich and the working class. Filipinos have this old belief that the more children they have, the more number of people will be able to work to take them out for poverty. Well I say that this notion is outrageous! Children are not there to make your life better, it is actually the other way around. It is actually the parents who should work hard so that they can support the child's needs and provide him/her with a bright future.

But how could parents who can barely provide for themselves be able to support a child and send him/her to college? If they can't support one child, how on earth could they support a dozen children? And so the vicious cycle of poverty occurs and poverty is never solved.

I do not feel pity for families who are very large in number and are suffering. Having a family is a vocation and it needs planning and one's full time attention. Why choose to have a large family when you can't even support yourself? Don't tell me that they can't afford contraceptives because the government offers free contraceptives and even ligation and vasectomy at public hospitals and some health centers. But the poor people are just uneducated and do not think of their children's future.

What I hate about these poor people is that they are the one's who always makes a scene at roads and tries to destroy the economy with their protests and outcries of desperation. In the first place what have they contributed to society and the government when they don't even pay tax and they expect that the government should be responsible for feeding them. If the Philippine government is corrupt and unable to provide the citizens their needs, then this should be an excellent reason not to have a dozen babies.

I commend the efforts of China in implementing the one child policy. Before the Chinese could not afford to buy meat because it is very expensive, but now they are able to enjoy that because they can now afford to buy their needs because they only have one child to support.

If only Filipinos had the sense of responsibility they would have the sense enough to follow in China's footsteps. If you can't afford to have a child then don't. Parents who have children and who can't provide their children their needs should be punished by law for negligence and child abuse. A child should be given only the best as they are the future leaders of our country. That is why there is a correlation between poverty and crime because children are forced to steal and use drugs because of the hardship that they undergo.

The Philippines will not develop unless the root cause of poverty is destroyed and that is overpopulation. With overpopulation there is a shortage not only with resources such as food but a shortage in jobs as well. That is why many Filipinos who have the right qualifications and skills often chooses to migrate abroad because this is the most practical thing to do than stay in the Philippines where conditions are becoming worst.

I will not be amazed if the Philippines become completely brain and skill drained and the people left would die out of hunger or worst uprisings and the never ending EDSA revolutions saying that the government has done nothing for them. But before we blame poverty on politics and the government, why not look at ourselves if we are not the cause for our own poverty.

I am proud to say that I came from a poor family. My dad's family was poor and so was my mom's. But because my parents were smart enough to have only two children they were able to send us to prestigious private schools and provide us with our needs. Because of hard work and family planning we are able to enjoy the life of a middle class right now where we can afford to buy anything we need and want.

Solving poverty does not need a political scientist or an economist, it just needs common sense. Think of your children's future... think of your selves... DON'T HAVE A CHILD IF YOU CAN'T SECURE HIS/HER GOOD FUTURE.

Wear The Right Pants

My brother loves wearing BDU pants and I mean love! He wears it every day and I even wonder if he even washes them. For those who have no idea what BDU pants are these are pants used by the military and the police hence the name Battle Dress Uniform (BDU).

But I don't blame my brother for wearing them. It's really comfortable as it is made of cotton and it's very durable. They may seem to be hot but they're actually very cool to wear and what's best about some BDU pants is that they are stain resistant so even if you play in the mud and spill food on them the stain and grime comes of easily with just water since the pants are sprayed with Teflon (kind of wish there were BDU pants for kids huh?).

To My Dear Blogger Friends

Hello friends! I'm very sorry if I'm taking too long to respond to your comments and e-mails. I've been very busy creating my new website and I have been going out with my friends lately so I'm really so busy. I still have a lot to things to do like finish checking my mom's papers (and just now she asked if I had already packed my things - and nope I'm not finished haven't even started, Lol!).

I think that I might be gone for a while since I'll try to finish one thing at a time (and that's not packing my bags hahaha!) since multi-tasking is not getting me anywhere.

So if I'm not in the blogosphere I'm at my new website updating it. ^_^

Get Your Boots

I think everyone likes wearing boots. I love wearing boots. My mom loves wearing boots. My brother, well he likes flip flops, but my dad on the other hand will not wear anything but boots.

Boots are very stylish and are very comfortable to wear. Who would have guessed that work boots could also be fashionable? Yup work boots were designed to be durable and to last a lifetime. Some boots are designed to meet your needs too. So if you want a boot that has an insulator, a waterproof boot, a steeled-toe boot, slip resistant boot, or any kind of boot at all, there is bound to be a work boot for you.

So if you're looking for that boot that suites your needs, I totally recommend workbootusa.com because they specialize in work boots so you can select the style and even brand of the boot you want and need.

I Have Been Hacked!

I can't talk about the details because an investigation is still undergoing. All that I can say is that I have been one of the victims whose account was hacked by some professional hackers in an attempt to intercept my payment through PayPal.

It was quite shocking but I'm glad that only $28 was stolen from me and not all of my money. I am quite glad that I took certain precautions when I set up my PayPal account and other accounts for that matter. I'm glad that only one account was hacked and they had no access to my other accounts.

So how do you protect your self from becoming a victim of being hacked? Here are my advice:

1. I recommend that your password is not a word you can find in the dictionary, includes both capital and lower case letters, and contains at least one special character (1-9, !, *, _, etc.).
2. Do not have the same password for every account.
3. Refrain from joining unsafe websites or even entering one. Download McAfee SiteAdvisor to protect yourself from Phishing sites who tries to get your personal details.
4. Always check your Account Details especially your PayPal information to ensure that your payment will go to you and not anyone else.
   

I really was down after losing my money but I'm now over it as the crooks only got away with that and not my total savings. Plus the site is willing to repay me for the money I lost. It was actually their shortcoming that their database was hacked and it was not my fault. But even if they won't pay me somehow I feel that the universe will compensate me for all the negative things that happens to me... that's karma and I love it! ^_^

Update: You can also checkout Julaina's (aka Mrs. Arm-Pit-Bull) on her post about PayPal Scams.

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 25 April 2008 and onwards.


This website, Angel in the Sickroom, is a personal site written, designed, and edited by me, Edgar Vincent P. Bautista, the rightful owner of this website. This website accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content. It should be noted, however, that this website only select and accept advertising from products or services that I believe in and will not cause any harm to other potential buyers/customers.

I am compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though I receive compensation for my posts or advertisements, I always give my honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content will always be identified.

Please be reminded that any information found in this website, even if supported by scientific studies or any other testimonies, should be used with caution. I will not be responsible for accidents or harm that occur because of any kind of way the contents of this website are used.

Edgar Vincent P. Bautista

Owner

Angel in the Sickroom

Short on Cash? No Problem.

I guess all of us (not including those filthy rich people who can burn money anytime they want) have experienced running out of cash when we really need it. It's not that we are broke or anything but there are times when we get to spend too much because we just bought a new car or the laptop we wanted with our credit card so we overspent and went beyond our monthly money allowance and our next pay day is still some days ahead.

so what do we do for the meantime as we wait for our next pay day? Do we cut down our expenses and have a temporary change in our lifestyle? Believe me, a change in your lifestyle can be quite depressing, but you don't have to cut down on anything because we could just avail our selves with a cash loan.

Well in that way we just get a loan to get by for just a few days and then when we get our pay check we could just pay our loan and continue to love our happy carefree lives. It is quite helpful that there are payday loans out there that could help us in our times of needs.

When I was young I bet my mom was also experiencing the same problem about being short on cash (she didn't avail of payday loans then) because there are times that we live luxuriously and then there are times when we have to be thrifty and spend our money on more important things. This roller coaster is really confusing especially to the kids and I couldn't help myself and asked my mom, "Mommy are we poor?".

But now I don't feel that roller coaster anymore, this may be perhaps my mom now avails of cash loans.

Still Loving Pokemon

I just watched Pokemon awhile ago and it brings so many memories to me. I have to admit that I'm a Pokemon Manic and I simply love Pokemon. I don't know what made Pokemon so lovable that I was so addicted to it. Yup I was addicted I watched the series, bought the DVD's, have a sticker collection of Pokemons, I even played the various Gameboy Advance Pokemon games from the very first Pokemon Red, Blue, Yellow (Love this one), Green, Gold, Silver, Sapphire, Ruby and even Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Snap on a console that I forgot (I used an emulator hehehe bad me)!

I remember being so frustrated at my mom because she won't let me watch Pokemon because it was for kids I really cried (hey I was still in grade school at that time ok?). I was so hooked to Pokemon that I sleep at around 1 am and then wake up real early the following morning. And when my old laptop broke down my first reaction wasn't "My Mom is going to kill me!" rather I thought, "No! My Pokemons!". The story of the game is quite captivating and the characters are cute. But as the number of Pokemon increased (from 150 to 493!) and the way Pokemon evolved and had new pre-evolutions (Pikachu came from Pichu) it just made it all confusing and sadly I grew tired of Pokemon.

Hahaha! I'm such a Poke nerd but I'm proud of it. Even thought the gameplay gets to be repetitive and predictable I still get lost in the story and it would be great to travel the world with your best buddies (the Poke Pals, Lol).

Oh if you're asking my favorite Pokemon is Charmander and whenever I play Pokemon I make sure that my team are composed of Dragon Types like Charizard, Dragonite, Gyrados, Kingdra, Aerodactyl, and I like Onyx too (not a Dragon type but I like huge Pokemons). I don't like Pikachu hahaha! I also had a friend once who had a crush on Ash Ketchum! Like what? Hahaha! Hmm... memories just flow in.

One thing I don't quite understand with Pokemon is why do you have to collect and catch them all if they're your friends? So when you capture 6 pokemons the others you catch get sent to the PokeFarm and what do they do there? And why do Pokemons want to fight other Pokemons? And do trainers feed their Pokemon and let them out once in a while out of their Pokeballs? I have so many thoughts in mind but I then remembered that Pokemon is just fiction hehehe. ^_^

My First Post

Yipee! After hours of laboring behind the computer my new blog has finally been born into the blogosphere! Well my blog is still not yet recognized by the blogosphere but I will do my best to write interesting stuff about my life, thoughts, experiences, and learnings as a student nurse (SN) and as a Filipino Immigrant in Canada (FIC).

I have two other blogs if you want to visit them Grim Angel and My Nurses Notes but I guess that I'll be moving to my new home here. But I'll be keeping Grim Angel though. I made this blog because I was having difficulty in maintaining a blog about my personal life and my life as an SN. Therefore I made a blog that combines both my life. That way I don't have to worry about things like what to post in the other blog and the likes.

Well as you see my blog is still in the works so it's still incomplete. But I'm hoping that I could finish the remaining parts of this blog and the rest of my website so that I could prepare inviting more people to visit my website and read my posts.

But it's time to go to bed now. I feel so sleepy already. Good night people! ^_^

Finding the Right Mortgage

When my family and I are going to move this June we're just going to rent an apartment. But sooner or later we must buy our own home because renting an apartment is okay but time will come when paying those monthly apartment bills will be too heavy and even if you want to make some improvements at your apartment, you can't because it's not yours.

That's why my family and I would need to find the right mortgages to help us buy or build our dream home. When I was surfing the web and comparing different companies that offer different kinds of mortgages, I have realized that there are several types of mortgages for different kinds of buyers with different kinds of needs. There are people who need to refinance an old mortgage, some needs to buy a new home, and others use mortgages as a home equity line (that's when you use your house as a collateral for a loan).

It would be obvious that we fall under the people who need to buy a new home but even knowing what category we fall to there are still too many numerous mortgages to choose from. That is why you'll need a service like mortgagefindersnetwork.com so that they can help you find that mortgage that perfectly suite your needs and budget.

Blogger Templates: Remove the NavBar

Blogger Templates: Remove the NavBar

If you've been to my blog a few days ago you would have noticed that my blog navbar was a bit placed in the wrong place so I decided to remove it. Good thing for me blogger-templates.blogspot.com existed and my blogging problems were solved. What I like about this site is that they have pictures to go with their detailed instructions so newbies like me who have little knowledge about CSS and HTML programing could blog like pros (well just a teeny weeny bit).

Again my gratitude to blogger-templates.blogspot.com and yes they also have free blogger templates (both CSS & HTML) so why don't you guys check this blog out.

Why Do You Have So Much Money?

Well I don't have that much but my mom asked me why I had so much money. It was actually a pretty weird situation for me because never have I expected my mom to ask me that question. Well I did tell her that much of my money that I have now was from my Nursing Garage Sale, which by the way is a great success!

My profit from my garage sale was a whooping Php 5125 or $125. Well and not to mention my other profit from blogging so yeah, I'm earning quite good. I guess that my summer have been really productive huh? Hehehe.

But still, I do blogging for the fun of it. ^_^

Career Options: Sonography Tech

I'm really serious about my future and right now I've been busy looking for other career paths aside from nursing and I have found another medical career that fits my interest and that's being a Sonography Technician.

So what is the job description? Well you operate and assist in the use of a high-tech ultrasound machines to direct waves to create an image of different parts of the body like the brain, eyes, and abdominal organs. Another interesting moments in a Sonography tech life is that he gets to share with the patients the joy and wonder when they have a video image of a fetus inside a mother's womb. You really get to appreciate God and all his wonders as you observe that fetus grow and mature as the mommy goes for her monthly check-ups.

And the pay is also good (average salary falls between $41,420 and $56,020 per annum) and your sure that you will be in demand since sonography/ultrasound is a standard operating procedure in hospitals so that doctors could easily and safely diagnose a patient's condition.

So if you're like me who is looking for other career paths in the medical field why not check out sonography and visit your nearest sonography schools for more info. And guess what, some universities offer online schooling for those who are working or have part time jobs.

What I Do When I'm Alone

The Singer by ~MargaritaMix on deviantART

Yup that's what I do when I'm alone. I sing! No one really knows this but I love singing. I just don't want anyone to hear me singing because I'm not that good yet. Whenever I'm alone at home I always try to record a song but so far I haven't finished any recordings yet.

I actually sound good but I'm a bit shy so I don't really try to reach the high notes because my house is near the highway and people might hear me. But wait... what do I care? I'm moving and who are they to judge me sing? They're not Simon Cowell! Hahaha! My dad will be leaving soon with my younger brother so the house will be mine. Therefore, neighbors prepare your ear plugs cause I'm gonna sing! Actually I prefer to be in a sound proof room right now or better, in the middle of nowhere.

I plan to sing Angels that Robbie Williams sang. Well I only liked Angels when David Archuleta sang it (no offense Robbie, I think you're a great artist ^_^). So guys wait for my recording of Angels hahaha!

If you want to hear Angels by David Archuleta just click HERE.

Why Not Become An X-Ray Technician

Ok, in my last post I said that I might not be able to finish my Bachelor of Science in Nursing or maybe I'd pursue another career in the medical field. As they say, when a door closes enter a window! I've found another great medical career that I know I'll definitely go into if my plans for nursing don't push though. And what career is this? No other than being an x-ray technician.

What a better way to work in the hospital and you're pretty much in demand because x-ray diagnostics is a routine procedure in every hospital. And take note that the median wage for an x-ray technician is $40,000. That's more like a registered nurse's salary!

But let's not talk about money. Being an x-ray technician is also quite interesting as you get to work with state of the art equipments like X-rays, MRI's (magnetic resonance imaging), and CT (computerized tomography) Scanners. Plus you don't have to suffer like some nurses who have a lot of patients to handle, illegible doctor handwritings, and some very irritable patients.

So if you're a nurse you only need to study for one year and you could already be an x-ray technician. Even I, who have finished a 2 year Associate In Health Science Education, could qualify as an x-ray technician so I already have another career path if ever nursing does not work for me.

Blogger's Crisis

I'm having a little problem right now. I have said that I've bought my own domain and I am pretty happy about that. I have always wanted to have my very own website that carries my name and is not under any subdomain or domain name extensions like .blogspot (Sorry Blogger but I still do love you! ^_^), .wordpress, .anything.

Now my objective is done but I have a big problem and I am having a difficult time choosing whether I should create a new blog or to simply move one of my blogs to my own domain. Here are some of the pros and cons that I have seen:

1. Creating a NEW Blog

• Pros - I start a fresh blog where I could integrate my nursing life, personal life, and blogging life. More like of a hybrid of my Grim Angel (personal life) & My Nurses Notes (student nurse life). I plan to name my new blog as "Angel in the Sickroom" Lol! ^_^ And as always I'll place a Photoshop edited picture of myself in a nursing uniform with wings [still black, white is good but I prefer black because I'm the Angel of Death (hence Grim Angel) hahaha!].
  
• Cons - Managing 3 blogs would be difficult (even managing my 2 blogs now is quite difficult) so I have to let go of My Nurses Notes.

2. Moving My Present Blogs to my Own Domain

• Pros - All my links would still work and my readers wouldn't find it difficult to find me.
• Cons - I might be penalized for a duplicate blog or whatever since I moved some of my posts from my Grim Angel to My Nurses Notes. No wonder my PR of Grim Angel dropped from 1 to 0. I actually didn't know that. ^_^ Now I know. And I do want to start a fresh blog...

Wait I think I just found my answer to my problems. I just have to make a new blog that's fresh. I won't delete My Nurses Notes but I won't be updating it anymore. It will just stand there as an archive for my posts (I really took some time and effort making some of my posts on My Nurses Notes so I'll really miss it. I could just move it but I don't want to risk my new blog as tagged as a duplicate.

So I have to say good bye to my beloved My Nurses Notes and welcome my upcoming blog Angel in the Sickroom. I really like the name. I'm not sure if I will be a nurse (I could be a doctor or a med technician) so it's kind of a safe name right? I was thinking of Angel in the Alleyway but that's David Archuleta's song hahaha!

Escaping from Debt

I have been watching some TV shows lately and I have noticed that some kids or even the kid-at-heart find shopping as a favorite pass-time. Well I have nothing about shopping since I too love to shop but I only shop when I have the money. What I have noticed is that some people shop and shop until they drop using their credit cards.

Oh yes I have always loved the great power of this plastic that could buy you everything you $desired in the mall with one swipe. I remember the first time I bought anything with a credit card (not mine, my mom's) and that was my laptop. Being able to buy anything is a great adrenaline rush.

But reality check! You have to pay for all of the things you've bought later. And this is where hell breaks loose. Some people even have multiple credit cards and when the credit card statement arrives, you sure wish you had another credit card to get out of this mess. One keeps using their credit card and what they're earning can't meet all the cost that they have incurred and where does this lead to? DEBT! Piles and piles of debts.

So how do we find debt relief? Simple, through debt consolidation. Yup that's right, you get a loan to pay up all your debts and other several loans. So if you want to improve your credit roles and stop all those pesky calls from the people you owe money to then better find yourself a debt consolidating agency that could bring you your own debt relief.

PayPal Dilemma

Awe what a sad day this has turned out to be. SponsoredReviews told me that they had sent me $27.95 to my PayPal account but guess what? No payment was received. So I checked my PayPal e-mail that I have stated on my account at SponsoredReviews and my PayPal Address had an additional letter! What? I then panicked and e-mailed that address only to find that the address was not registered to anyone. So I decided to claim that e-mail address and add that e-mail to my PayPal account hoping that my payment would be forwarder to my account but I still don't see any money coming in.

Sure $27.95 may not be that big but it's still money and that could cover one year subscription payment for my new domain. Oh well I have already contacted PayPal and SponsoredReviews about this matter and hope it gets resolved soon.

But one question that bothers me is how in the world did my PayPal e-mail change? I thought I was hacked or something. Guess I have to change my passwords again. If ever I don't get to retrieve that $27.95, well I just have to live with that fact and move on with my life.

As they say, bad things are always replaced with good and vice versa. This balance in life thing is sure is hard to understand.

Being A Teacher Is Hard

Boy, I have said this before but I'll say it again, being a teacher is so freaking hard! I wanted to be a teacher before but now that I'm experiencing one role of a teacher I'm having second thoughts. Yup I did plan on becoming a clinical instructor (CI) some day but I'm having second thoughts right now.

No I do not have a part time as a teacher at some university (because I'm not qualified, Lol). I'm helping my mom with her checking of papers because she's a part-time professor at a local university teaching basic accounting. And checking accounting test papers is so tiring! I hve to check each entry one by one to check if they got the total correctly and that it didn't appear on it's own. I still have 3 days to check them and I guess I'll divide my work on those days to preserve my sanity.

I hate doing so many things at a time. I used to multi-task but I realized that it's best to focus on one activity so that you'll finish more than end up with many unfinished projects/activities. I have my blogging, my new domain to finish, my checking, and guess I have to eat in between too. Wished a day had longer hours so that I could get more finished.

Another New Car

One thing that still confuses me is that a lot of people are saying that the economy is getting bad and all but then here comes my cousin who just bought a new Ford Ranger after he was fed up with his old Mazda car. Here's a pic of his new baby:

Ain't it a beauty? I'm so jealous. Anyway I told him that he should better get a car insurance since you know how it is with robbers. The better looking the car the higher their motivation is to steal. In the US alone, cars get stolen every 26 seconds so one should really be safe than sorry and get a car insurance. I googled car insurance and a lot of companies showed up. You should really get auto insurance quotes so that you'll get an auto insurance that can guarantee your assurance and peace of mind that whenever there's anything that happens to your precious car, you are insured.

And if you're looking for auto insurance quotes within near your area you might want to check out carinsurancerates.com. They have free quotes for any vehicle anywhere in just 5 minutes. Cool huh? I'm sure that you'll find everything you need about car insurance there.

Please Support David Archuleta

Please support David Archuleta and vote for him on American Idol. Why would you vote for him? Well his songs below would be very good reasons enough why he should be the Next American Idol 2008. Hahaha! I really am a fan. In fact I even joined archuletafans.com to prove that I'm a die-hard fan of David A. So if you have ODD (Obsessive David Disorder) please support him by buying his songs on iTunes and don't forget to vote for him! ^_^

Angels - David Archuleta (My favorite)

When You Believe- David Archuleta

Smoky Mountain Memories - David Archuleta

We Can Work It Out - David

You're The Voice - David Archuleta

Angels in the Alleyway - David Archuleta (I Love this song too)

And here's David Archuleta's performance at the Top 6! He sings Think of Me and I haveto say that he did an excellent job making the song his own and for creating a pop ballad song.

Money Problems

I was quite shocked to find out recently that my mom had actually gotten herself a payday cash loan before. I knew that my mom was having some difficulty handling all our finances when my dad stopped working but I never knew that such loans existed.

For those who don't know what payday cash loans are they are loans intended to cover a borrower's expenses until his or her next payday. I find this loans quite helpful really since we can't change the fact that the country's economy is not that good anymore and there are so many price increases but there is no changes in the salary.

Oh well, as long as payday cash loans exists I'm sure that everybody could get by. Good thing we're already moving this June to another country with a better economy.

Manok Nanaman?!

To you guys who don't understand what "Manok Nanaman?!" means, it is a Tagalog phrase that states "What? Chicken Again?!".

Yup for the past few days all that I have been eating is chicken, chicken, chicken... From fried chicken, to Lechon Manok (Barbecued Chicken), to Chicken Inasal (a special Filipino Barbecued Chickendish made), and all the chickens in the world that you could think of.

As the saying goes, you are what you eat meaning... WAIT! I am not a chicken!!!

Anyway but there are some benefits in always eating chicken. It means that my doggie, Missy Pooh, would get to eat her favorite dish: chicken! I don't know why that dog goes loco over chicken. She doesn't eat anything else. She has a few food items that she likes and these are soup bones, chorizo (don't know the English equivalent for that one), and of course her favorite chicken.

The Women Hunt

After rummaging the net (and after being pressured by Juliana hehehe) here are my pics for "The Women Hunt"!

SEXIEST SMILE

Image is a Property of ~raephius

I guess that anyone who has a genuine smile is sexy.

SEXIEST BODY

For me I find Katherine Heigl (more known as Dr. Isobel Stevens of Grey's Anatomy) as the woman with the most sexiest body.

SEXIEST EYES
I told myself that I won't choose famous celebrities for this but what can I do. The more I search for sexy eyes the more I see of Angeline Jolie and I think she pretty much fits the description don't you. She has very seductive eyes.

Oh well there you have it my picks for The Women Hunt. ^_^

Coming Out of My Shell

Well you've just seen a video about my blooper and I just came out of my shell. Speaking of shells I'm craving for gulf oysters right now. Gulf oysters are exquisitely delicious and just simply delectable but they do have some dangers to it. That is why one should be an informed eater as not to end up with a bad stomach or a systemic infection. So enjoy your gulf oysters everyone and make sure that you are not an at-risk consumer of oysters.

Good thing I know something about Oysters or my most embarrassing moment would have included a stomachache and a trip to the hospital.

got this tag from dru... and I wanted to check it out.

Here are the rules:

1. Mention the person who tagged you and create a link back to them.
2. Copy-paste the traits for all the twelve months (see below).
3. Pick your month of birth.
4. Highlight the traits that apply to you.
5. Tag 12 people and let them know by visiting their blogs and leaving a comment for them.
6. Let the person who tagged you know when you've done it!

The Twelve Months

JANUARY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY: Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizes dreams and hopes.Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH: Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody. Most of these traits are true for me.

APRIL: Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving. Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY: Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic. Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE: Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY: Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST: Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride in oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER: Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER: Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to take things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER: Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER:Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egotistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

i tag anah, lutchi, juliana, beaverly, yas, charmaine, cheenoh, edz, KCee, Liza, Prily, Ruthi ^_^

On Buying a Car

I was asked by my mom to do some errands for her one day, she has asked me to deposit some money to the bank. As usual the bank was filled with so many people and the priority number I got would take a few more hours until it was called. So I decided to read some of the bank brochures to fight my boredom.

The brochure that really caught my interest was about a car loan. I know that I still don't have any job at the moment but I really believe that I should really learn more about car loans so that I could find the car loan that is right for me, cheap monthly payments with little interest.

I've learned that there are many types of auto loans. There are loans for new cars, loans for used cars, and a loan to refinance a current car loan. But there are still so many things for me to know. Good thing that I'm still young and I have enough time to prepare for my dream car. I better start learning more about car loans then.

My New Website!

Yipee! I have done it! One of my dreams have already been met. I have my own personal website at my very own domain! It's not finished yet but my new domain is at http://www.edgarvincentbautista.com!

Yeah I know that I said that I couldn't change the domain that I had registered in (www.mynursesnotes.com) but turns out that I can. The guys at Technographx were really nice and that they respond to my questions and requests ASAP since you can contact them directly through YM. And I also just found out that Technographx is a Filipino Webhosting Company based in the Philippines (where else would a Filipino company be based? Ireland? ^_^).

Anyway I've decided to get my own domain since one, it's my dream, and two, this blog demoted to a PR 0. So returning to a PR 0 is actually a good thing since it opened a new window to better opportunities. I had fun maintaining this blog and my other blog, My Nurses Notes, and I think it's already time to spread my wings and become a pro-blogger (char, Lol!).

I Want To Protect My Home

Just last night I heard a gang war going on outside my house. It was around 2 am when I heard teenagers screaming and throwing stones at each other. It was an awful experience and what made it worst was that some stones were falling on our roof too...

My God. Why on earth did my father buy a house & lot in this neighborhood? Because it's cheap? Well it has good reasons why it's cheap, it's located in a bad neighborhood. I'm constantly am awakened at night fearing that one of those gang members will break in and steal something. And where there are gangs, vandalism is something very common.

What I need right now is a homeowner's insurance. I want to feel safe all the time even when I'm out of the house. I want to be assured that even if I return to my house that has burned down to the ground or vandalized by some stupid gang.

Also if I want to move out from this bad neighborhood I would need a homeowner's insurance to be able to get a mortgage loan so that I could have that dream house for me and my family in a safe and peaceful neighborhood.

Bought My Own Domain!

Oh my God! I have done something that would definitely change my life forever! I have just bought my very own domain! It's http://www.mynursesnotes.com! Yup it's a dream come true. I have always dreamed of having my own personal website and there it is. I was thinking of using http://www.vincentbautista.com or http://www.edgarbautista.com but unfortunately those websites are already taken. I could have chosen my domain to be http://www.edgarvincentbautista.com but that would simply be too long and I've already signed up and paid for my domain http://www.mynursesnotes.com (darn it).

This means that I must continue and pursue what I have started and become a registered nurse. Hahaha! Funny how I allow my career to be controlled by my domain's name. But yeah, I am serious with becoming a nurse and I don't see myself as anything else.

Who would have thought that I would actually take this blogger thing to the next level? And if you guys are wondering, yes I used my earnings from my blogging to buy my own domain at TechnoGraphx.com. You'll be amazed at their very low rates and not to mention that you can pay them through your PayPal account. I got my domain for a very low price of $12 for 1 year!

I hope that my domain gets activated soon (they said within 24 hours) and I can't wait to set it up and design it. Well if ever it gets ready I'll be sure to inform you guys!

Choose Your Friends Carefully

I don't know what some Filipino teenagers are thinking right now and they choose to take a path to self-destruction?! A good example? My stupid brother! He was already almost expelled for illegal possession of Marijuana and now he has entered himself into another mess and I am really frustrated about it. He has joined a "Filipino Gang" called the Bloods. If you're not familiar with this stupidity (that Filipinos are so trying hard to imitate) then let me explain what Bloods is. Bloods is a gang that has a rival gang called the Crips (the Bloods and Crips are mostly composed of Black Americans by the way). The Bloods wear red bandannas on their faces while the Crips wears blue. They have nothing better to do aside from fighting with each other late at night (or early at dawn) throwing stones at each other and disturbing the community's peace.

My brother was even very proud to say that his "gang" is established world wide, which of course is true and another fact would be that these gangs are involved in murders, robberies, drug dealing, among many other criminal pursuits. And the stupid Filipinos (here and abroad) want to imitate these gangs as their idols thinking it's cool. No wonder I received this comment about Filipinos, and I have to say I am ashamed. I am ashamed that some Filipinos are stupid enough to join the Bloods and Crips. Instead of trying to establish their lives in the US or any other part of the world as respected immigrants they want to stand out in their community as juvenile delinquents!

I wouldn't care less if they want to ruin their lives but they had to drag my stupid brother into their none sense! Every day they come to our house looking for my idiot of a brother to join them in what ever gang activity they do (riots, drug usage, and other criminal acts as vandalizing) and who again has to cover for my stupid brother? My mom. What is my brother's problem that he really wants to ruin his life? But actually I don't give a damn if he dies in his gang riots because I'm sick and tired of trying to tell him that what he's going into is wrong. My mom tried her best and even thought of sending him away somewhere far from his stupid gang but my brother told my mom, "What do you care, it's my life!" You moron! As long as you're under the roof of our parents at least have some decency as not to drag our family down with you!

I give up. He's not my child so what do I care. Let my parents handle their son's mess, it's actually their fault for always giving in to his demands and other stupidity. The videos below kind of summarizes what my brother is in to right now. He and some other mislead Filipino youths are going to be great liabilities. The government should do something before anyone gets killed.

For your information: Crips use the symbol BK which means "Blood Killas" while the Bloods use the symbol CK as "Crips Killer"... stupidity I tell you, killing each other for very low reasons...

Meet Tree Man

Meet Dede Koswara, a 35-year old Indonesian, more commonly known as "Tree Man". And if you have seen the video then you would have an idea of what why he's called as Tree Man. And in case you were wondering he is not half man and half tree. He is 100% man. The tree like growths on his digits and face are not plant in origin. They are actually over growth of warts caused by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), the same virus that is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that causes genital warts. Unfortunately for Dede's case, he has an abnormal genetic make-up that causes his immune system to be as weak as a person with AIDS that is why the HPV is successful in literally taking over his body.

Dede was left by his wife because of his appearance and his two children (an 18 year old boy and 16 year old girl) had to live with his other relatives because he was not able to take care of them anymore because he is incapable of working (since he can't grasp things with his root-like hands) and is forced to live in poverty. He is able to survive by some provisions given to him by his extended family and from being the center of attraction at their village's local "freak show".

Good enough for him an American Dermatologist promised to help him return to his normal life by performing several surgeries to prevent the warts from totally debilitating him and taking his life as these warts could become cancerous.

And here is a picture of him after his first surgery:

Not much change is seen but at least his hands and feet are already starting to look like hands. From being the local village freak-show I do hope that he could achieve his dream of getting a job and returning to a normal life and maybe even find love. Well, Dede, I wish you all the luck!

I really honor the courage that he has. If I was faced with the same affliction I might not have survived at all. I know that many people are disgusted at his sight and are making fun of him but once you place yourself in his position, you would be able to have some empathy for him and you would realize what a strong person he is.

PR 0?! What the?

Ok my blog was never a PR 4 but it was a PR 1 and I'm so proud of that because I worked hard for that but all of the sudden my PR became 0 when it was a PR 1 last night. I am now wondering what I did to deserve such a drop in PR.

This is really so depressing... I don't want to live anymore! Hahaha that's a bit too much. The hell with PR! I blog because I want to and not for some rating (char). But still... ouch!

But honestly I don't think that I've done anything wrong. I even removed my Adbrite Ads since I thought that it made my Adsense earnings drop but ok enough with that.

On with my life... even if I have a PR 0 blog... huhuhu...

Operation Tuli

I was quite shocked at first when my very conservative friend who happens to be a girl sent me an SMS yesterday saying that she was able to touch 30 or more penises in the span of 4 hours. And she was quite proud of herself and happy with the whole experience. At first I was quite scandalized by what she said and all sort of naughty thoughts came running into my head.

It was a good thing though that she clarified what she told me and said that she just had the most wonderful experience in "Operation Tuli". Operation Tuli is an annual project of the Department of Health - Philippines to have young boys circumcised (Tuli in Tagalog) in their own towns and municipality. I'm kind of jealous because I too want to experience an Operation Tuli which I doubt would exist in Canada. In Operation Tuli, several young boys wait in line for their free circumcision.

Circumcision has been a ritual for many religions and culture. Circumcision paves the way into adulthood and manhood while it is also a ritual in the Judeo-Christian Tradition to strengthen the covenant with God. Medically speaking, circumcision (the removal of the foreskin of the penis) is for hygienic purposes as dirt and secretions tends to accumulate in the foreskin and will result to urinary tract infections (UTI).


In other countries though male circumcision is done 2-3 weeks after birth. And if you're wondering there is also a female circumcision which I will post about later since it deserves to be discussed further.

For more information on circumcision I recommend this very informative site, kidshealth.org.

Cebu Operating Room Scandal

Disclaimer: This video is not the property of this blog's owner and the video is hosted externally.

Before anyone reacts I wanted to share this video for the sake of discussion and as a reference. If you are not open minded and is not willing to accept the thoughts and opinions of other people then please do not continue to read this post if you will only flame me in the end. If you want to know my opinion on this matter please read on.

To those who have no idea what this video is about this is a video taken from a camera of a student nurse at an operating room at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) at Cebu City, Philippines.

This video (that was spread on the internet like wild fire on Youtube, emails, and even cellphones) was of a 30 year old homosexual who had an Avon's Black Suede For Men Body Spray (thus the name Black Suede Scandal) allegedly inserted into his rectum when he had sex with a stranger.

What made the video so scandalous and caused such a sensation is when the doctors, nurses, and other operating room staff laughed and jeered at the patient's condition as seen in the video.

But here are are some of my reaction upon some comments of people online regarding the said topic:

• On Medical Malpractice - As defined by Larry Curtis Law Firm is a form of negligence where an injury results from a medical professional’s or medical facility’s failure to exercise adequate care, skill or diligence in performing a duty. We should actually congratulate the doctors for a successful operation. No invasive procedures were done on such an extraordinary case. The operation was a success and there are no complications.
• On Breach of Sterility - The people seen in the video were curious staff from other operating rooms within the operating room complex therefore they are considered sterile. They did not come from outside the operating room. And the people with no gloves were at least 12 inches away from the operating table so as stated by the sterile technique the operation is still considered sterile. Besides the people with out gloves did not perform the operation.
• On Cameras in the Operating Room - Actually in my case, cameras are allowed inside the operating room and we student nurses are indeed allowed to take pictures for the sake of documentation which would be used for future case studies.
• On Breach of Patient Confidentiality - When I reviewed the video footage the patient's identity was not at all exposed. The patient's face was not seen and no distinguishing body marks such as tattoos and birth marks were not captured on film. We wouldn't even know the sex and age of the patient if he hadn't exposed himself to media saying that he was a Florist, he was 30 year old, and he even divulged how that can arrived at his rectum. And yes his consent was asked and he did agree to have the operation filmed because as I reiterate this is a very unusual operation. So the video taking had the patient's consent.
• On the Revocation of the Doctor's Licenses - I think that the people are overly reacting just like the way Filipinos over-reacted to Teri Hatcher's "some doctor from the Philippines" comment. It's not like the doctors killed someone or anything, I agree that sanctions may be imposed on their behavior but revoking their titles for laughing and cheering is way too harsh.
• On the Operating Room Staff's Cheering & Laughing - To be fair to the patient, I would also be furious if I were in his position if I knew that a video of me was circulating on the internet but then I would realize that no one would know that it was me. It's also normal for people to be curious and have fun and joke around. In fairness the doctors and nurses were laughing at the situation not at the patient, that is a totally different context. It would be a normal reaction of a normal person to an extraordinary situation. No person was hurt, just a pride that was bruised. But now that we mention it isn't it the patient's fault that he was in this predicament because he had a one night stand with a complete stranger. He was lucky that he wasn't killed by his promiscuity. But that is a totally different issue and that is not my problem. The issue that I am concerned of is the outcome of the health care professionals who are being crucified for an issue that is overly exaggerated.
  

This issue had circulated and has been talked well enough and I think that this should already be wrapped up and more important issues were tackled like the improvement of the health care system in the Philippines and the improvement of nurse's wages and patient to nurse ratios.

I know that this post would gather a lot of negative reactions but let me again reiterate the blog's disclosure policy: The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own, as this is a personal blog.

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Sources:
Sun Star - Doctors may lose licenses over surgery scandal
Inquirer - Video scandal grips Cebu hospital
Inquirer - Black Suede scandal