I have been absent (in sanriotown) for the last 4 days because I was in my Intravenous Therapy Certification Program. Polkadotrn had her IV training too at SLMC . Anyway, I had mine at NCCLEX and it was really fun besides learning actually to insert an IV line and caring for patients with central catheters, I was also able to extract blood! hahaha yahoo… I just wish i can practice more.. here are some pics..

In the pic, my classmate is using Vasocan- commonly used in the Philippine hospitals however Needle Autoguards are now used in the US and in SLMC. The autoguard is really cool because you can push a button and the needle automatically retracts back to a container after advancing the canula to the vein thus, no more accidental needle punctures after using it. Almost everyone was able to successfully start an IV after one try, except for a classmate who, despite 3 attempts, still unable to insert it. I really pity her maid because you can really see that she’s in pain because my classmate had to do probing - manipulating the needle until it hits a vein (even though it’s really not allowed in the US standard).

Above, that’s me and my victim. I was able to extract 10cc of blood from him and venous blood extraction is way easier than an IV line insertion. The guy on my left, wearing light lavender, was our instructor.

On our last day, we had our lunch delivered and after eating , we rented a videoke machine and we all sang and danced inside the classroom! hahaha I’m lucky to have nice and wacky classmates who can groove and shake their booties on the beat of “Dancing queen”.

Above, we were all singing “I don’t wanna miss a thing” and i ‘m quite not sure why they have to raise and wave their hands in the air while singing.. but they all looked cute!

Our instructor said that we’ll be known as the “nurses gone crazy” batch! hehehe

I came back from Puerto Galera with my bf last Sunday…and we had a blast! Despite the traffic in SLEX and Lipa City that delayed us for more 4 hours ( a usual trip from Manila to puerto galera is 4hours), it was worth it!

Anyway, we arrived around 4pm at white beach and checked in to our “humbling” room (don’t ask) first before hitting the beach. Tired from our 8- hour travel, as well as having empty stomachs, we invaded the nearest eat-all-you-can-rice resto and pigged out! hahaha

After eating, we took a stroll along the entire stretch of the White beach and took pictures, goofed around and watched other vacationists as they crowd the beach.

There was this Tattoo shop which caught my attention because they have huge speakers in front of the shop playing Reggae. (cool!) My bf must’ve read that intrigued look on my face and said we should get a henna, since I haven’t had one before (and it’s on my to-do list before i die). So here comes eager beaver (me), headed straight where the tattoo catalogs are stacked and started my unending inquiries about tattoos. hehehe Here’s our pic:

That night, around 11pm, I was pretty much anticipating what the night life there would be like.. Turned our that it was just similar to the night life in Manila- the attire and place is just different. The beach was jam-packed! As in! So after dining out and finishing off a bottle of beer (for my bf) and soda (for me), we found a free spot where we laid on our backs and did some stargazing… My bf is not a fan of astronomy, so I taught him which one is the Orion constellation (after watching 10,00-b.c., he should have an idea what I’m talking about) and the Big dipper, both of which are easiest to spot in the night sky.

So the following day, we woke up around 7am and it was raining! So much for tan. We ate our breakfast, again at the eat-all-you-can-rice resto. While pigging out and talking about our misfortunes and blonde moments, the sun suddenly appeared among the thick rain clouds and it was HOT again! hahaha We sprinted back to our room and changed into our swim wear and returned to the beach! yahoo! First on the list: Banana Boat! It was our first time and we were really psyched up! After mounting the banana boat, the speed boat pulling us started heading to the open ocean.. I was seated in the middle (4th in line of 10). Let me give you a piece of advice: If you plan to ride this anytime in the future, never seat in the middle… I hated the splashes created by our boat hitting the waves! It was all over my face and I cannot see a thing, I cannot breath well and the salty water seems to get into my mouth!!! So while I was battling out for my survival, the speed boat deliberately took a sharp turn and next thing I knew, our banana boat turned upside down and I was thrown off-guard into the water and the salty water entered through my nose and seeped to my throat.. As I managed to resurface from the plunge, I saw my BF saving someone else’s girlfriend!!! 0.0 Well after that he said he thought the girl was me but then realized otherwise when the real BF was pulling her away from him.. HAHAHA I thought it was hilarious but I didn’t let my bf sense that I was cool with it. I pretended to be jealous and said he was just making “chansing”! hahaha Anyway, there were more 2 banana boat flipping and after that, I can say it wasn’t THAT traumatic and relatively, it was a GOOD “experience. ^^

We headed back to the shore and returned our life vests. After a few seconds, i started itching all over my body.. it feels like pouring a 90% salt water into your skin with fine needle punctures all over your body. So horrible that I begged my BF to head back to our room and wash myself up because it was really unbearable. I’m bit puzzled why it happened because prior to swimming I placed a layer of sunblock lotion and petroleum jelly over my skin to protect me from the sun and any allergens present in the water. So to make the long story short, after washing up, I dressed up on my “pang-uwi” clothes and just sat on the beach while my BF got his tan. … I mainly took pleasure sitting there and taking pictures.. I did got my tan without bathing.. but it wasn’t as nice as my BF’s. Haaayyy… Here’s our picture after.. (while waiting for our boatride back to Batangas pier)

When we left Puerto galera, we made history and brought along good memories… I hope we can go back there soon. This is one great, unforgettable summer! Really!

What’s not to love about this girl? She’s pretty, talented and she has short hair!!! I love it! (waahh… i want!)

A heart-warming photo…( me too!)

This one is really hilarious!

If you happen to pass by Visayas Ave. (quezon city, phils), you must take note of this shop:

SHOEperman, a shoe and bag repair shop. If you are keen enough to read the small prints on their sign, it says,

“I will HEEL you. I will save your SOLE. I will even DYE for you.”

 hahahaha!

All concerned citizen of our planet, this is one way on giving back to our Mother Earth. Tonight, Mar 29, 2008, 8-9pm let us join and make a stand against global warming by turning off our lights and all kinds of electric appliances and machines.

According to an article from Time:

“Earth Hour is being sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and its head Carter Roberts says the global event “will make a statement about our commitment to solve the climate change problem and symbolize the commitment that people will make throughout the rest of the year.” (Hear Roberts talk about Earth Hour on this week’s Greencast.)

Earth Hour won’t suffer for a lack of gimmicks. Servers wearing glow-in-the-dark necklaces will sell eco-tinis at bars and restaurants in Phoenix. A local yoga house in Michigan will offer sessions by lamplight, and the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago will have check-in by candlelight. Watching the lights wink off in major metropolitan areas might look impressive, but it’s worth asking: What’s the point? As Roberts himself notes, the energy saved by turning off your lights for an hour “won’t make an enormous difference.” So, if it won’t cut carbon emissions, why bother then with Earth Hour, or Earth Day or Earth Live, last year’s daylong concert for the environment?

Because climate change is essentially a political problem, and the language of politics is symbolism. Just because an act is symbolic doesn’t mean it empty. The only way to truly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to take the pressure off global warming, is an international regime that puts a cap and a price on climate pollution. And the only way that will happen is if politicians around the world become convinced that climate change is an issue that matters to people, one that will make them change the way they live, buy — and vote. “Unlike most of the issues that we grapple with, climate change is global,” says Roberts. “The pressure is on us to do the right thing.” If shutting off the lights for an hour on Saturday night and doing yoga in the dark makes that political support, well, visible, then Earth Hour will have been worth it.

The environmental movement is reaching a delicate moment. We’re well past the point where going green is novel, where just doing your bit to save the Earth deserves endless praise. We’ve become inured to the existence of global warming, to its inconvenient truth, yet we sense that the solutions we’ve been given — change a light bulb, change your life — fall far short of the scale of the problem. We risk green fatigue because, after all, what can we do about it? But this is the moment when we need to keep pushing in every way we can. The technologies that will help us decarbonize energy are developing, but they need a push — and that will only happen if we keep climate change near the top of our political agenda. Earth Hour, Earth Day, Earth Year — we’ll need it all.”

 to learn more pls visit www.earthhour.org

Let me relive my childhood days! haha Growing up with 3 brothers is not easy. By that I mean you must constantly try to fit in and go along with their interests to secure a place in the pack. My brothers ( elder, Reg, and younger, Rhys) are die-hard fanatics of the Final Fantasy franchise. I recall them not sleeping or sometimes taking turns to sleep while the other is continuing the game. Anyway, thanks to them, FF is not foreign to me. I love FF8 because of the Squall-Rinoa love team. (Yeah yeah, girls are suckers for romance). Who cannot forget “Eyes on me“? You can forgive some errors in grammar of the lyrics.. hahaha If you heard the orchestra version already, then I think you will agree with me that one was good. Makes me cry.. <sniff sniff>..

When you hear To Zanarkand, without even seeing or knowing about FF10, you can mistake it as a score used on tragic-drama films.

Originally it is on piano version but the orchestra, is way better, IMO. (Please try to click on the two links if you haven’t heard them yet.) After listening to it, I’m left with the “heavy feeling in the chest”. Maybe it did deliver the kind of emotion it was intended to convey to it’s listeners. When songs are usually composed of lyrics and music, this one doesn’t need lyrics at all. Up to now, my brothers and I are arguing what the song is all about.. hahaha Regardless of what to zanarkand is really about, there’s no doubt, that this one is NOT forgettable. (correct me, Mr. Cowell).. haha

I am an animal lover and I stand by the animal rights protection. Stories about how these creatures are mistreated, abused or killed give me that heavy feeling- that feeling like when you just learned someone so dear to you died in the most tragic way? To tell you honestly, when I drive and see cats or dogs get hit by a car or even see what remains of their bodies after a roadkill, either i am swearing at the back of my mind or expressing my pity for that poor fella. After reading this article, I swear not to buy any of their products..

I’m also appealing to all SANRIOTOWN BLOGGERS out there who reads this, PLEASE, copy this article and post it in your blogs. Let’s spread the awareness of product testing on these poor animals and the cruelty and effects of it to the animals which we should be protecting in the first place. They also deserve to live unharmed.

Companies That STILL DO Test on Animals

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Hundreds of thousands of these animals are poisoned, blinded, and killed every year in outdated and ineffective product tests for shampoos, household cleaners, cosmetics, hairsprays, and other personal care and household items. Although more than 600 companies have banned all animal tests forever, some corporations still force substances into animals’ stomachs and drip chemicals into rabbits’ eyes. These tests are not required by law, and they often produce inaccurate and misleading results—even if a product has blinded an animal, it can still be marketed to you.

Source: www.caringconsumer.com

Read on to view the list of companies the STILL DO test on animals!

You’ll be surprised to know that most of us, if not all, actually “support” these companies because we purchase their products.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are these companies included on the ‘Do Test’ list?
The following companies manufacture products that ARE tested on animals. Those marked with a * are currently observing a moratorium on (i.e., current suspension of) animal testing. Please encourage them to announce a permanent ban. Listed in parentheses are examples of products manufactured by either the company listed or, if applicable, its parent company. For a complete listing of products manufactured by a company on this list, please visit the company’s Web site or contact the company directly for more information. Companies on this list may manufacture individual lines of products without animal testing (e.g., Clairol claims that its Herbal Essences line is not animal-tested). They have not, however, eliminated animal testing from their entire line of cosmetics and household products.

Similarly, companies on this list may make some products, such as pharmaceuticals, that are required by law to be tested on animals. However, the reason for these companies’ inclusion on the list is not the animal testing that they conduct that is required by law, but rather the animal testing (of personal care and household products) that is not required by law.

What can be done about animal tests required by law?
Although animal testing of pharmaceuticals and certain chemicals is still mandated by law, the arguments against using animals in cosmetics testing are still valid when applied to the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. These industries are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, respectively, and it is the responsibility of the companies that kill animals in order to bring their products to market to convince the regulatory agencies that there is a better way to determine product safety. PETA is actively working on this front by funding development and validation of non-animal test methods and providing input through our involvement on government advisory committees at both the national and international levels. Companies often resist progress and, instead of using human-relevant non-animal tests, choose to use animal tests because their results can be manipulated. Let companies know how you feel about this.

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COMPANIES THAT DO TEST ON ANIMALS

Arm & Hammer (Church & Dwight), P.O. Box 1625, Horsham, PA 19044-6625; 609-683-5900; 800-524-1328; www.armhammer.com

*Bic Corporation, 500 Bic Dr., Milford, CT 06460; 203-783-2000; www.bicworld.com

Boyle-Midway (Reckitt Benckiser), 2 Wickman Rd., Toronto, ON M8Z 5M5 Canada; 416-255-2300

Chesebrough-Ponds (Fabergé, Ponds, Vaseline), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 800-743-8640; www.pondssquad.com

Church & Dwight (Aim, Arm & Hammer, Arrid, Brillo, Close-up, Lady’s Choice, Mentadent, Nair, Orange Glo International, Pearl Drops), P.O. Box 1625, Horsham, PA 19044-6625; 609-683-5900; 800-524-1328; www.churchdwight.com

Clairol (Aussie, Daily Defense, Herbal Essences, Infusium 23, Procter & Gamble), 1 Blachley Rd., Stamford, CT 06922; 800-252-4765; www.clairol.com

Clorox (ArmorAll, Formula 409, Fresh Step, Glad, Liquid Plumber, Pine-Sol, Soft Scrub, S.O.S., Tilex), 1221 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612; 510-271-7000; 800-227-1860; www.clorox.com

Colgate-Palmolive Co. (Hills Pet Nutrition, Mennen, Palmolive, SoftSoap, Speed Stick), 300 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022; 212-310-2000; 800-221-4607; www.colgate.com

Cover Girl (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.covergirl.com

Dial Corporation (Dry Idea, Purex, Renuzit, Right Guard, Soft & Dri), 15101 N. Scottsdale Rd., Ste. 5028, Scottsdale, AZ 85254-2199; 800-528-0849; www.dialcorp.com

Helene Curtis Industries (Salon Selectives, Thermasilk, Unilever), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 800-621-2013; www.helenecurtis.com

Johnson & Johnson (Aveeno, Clean & Clear, Listerine, Lubriderm, Neutrogena, Rembrandt, ROC), 1 Johnson & Johnson Plz., New Brunswick, NJ 08933; 732-524-0400; 800-526-3967; www.jnj.com

Lever Bros. (Unilever), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 212-888-1260; 800-598-1223; www.unilever.com

L’Oréal U.S.A. (Biotherm, Cacharel, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Helena Rubinstein, Lancôme, Matrix Essentials, Maybelline, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Redken, Soft Sheen, Vichy), 575 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10017; 212-818-1500; www.loreal.com

Max Factor (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.maxfactor.com

Mead, 10 W. Second St., #1, Dayton, OH 45402; 937-495-6323; www.meadweb.com

Melaleuca, 3910 S. Yellowstone Hwy., Idaho Falls, ID 83402-6003; 208-522-0700; www.melaleuca.com

Mennen Co. (Colgate-Palmolive), 191 E. Hanover Ave., Morristown, NJ 07960-3151; 973-631-9000; www.colgate.com

New Dana Perfumes, 470 Oakhill Rd., Crestwood Industrial Park, Mountaintop, PA 18707; 800-822-8547

Noxell (Procter & Gamble), 11050 York Rd., Hunt Valley, MD 21030-2098; 410-785-7300; 800-572-3232; www.pg.com

Olay Co./Oil of Olay (Procter & Gamble), P.O. Box 599, Cincinnati, OH 45201; 800-543-1745; www.oilofolay.com

Oral-B (Gillette Company), 600 Clipper Dr., Belmont, CA 94002-4119; 415-598-5000; www.oralb.com

Pantene (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 800-945-7768; www.pantene.com

Pfizer (BenGay, Desitin, Listerine, Lubriderm, Plax, Visine), 235 E. 42nd St., New York, NY 10017-5755; 212-573-2323; www.pfizer.com

Physique (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 800-214-8957; www.physique.com

Playtex Products (Banana Boat), 300 Nyala Farms Rd., Westport, CT 06880; 203-341-4000; www.playtex.com

Procter & Gamble Co. (Clairol, Cover Girl, Crest, Gillette, Giorgio, Iams, Max Factor, Physique, Tide), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.pg.com

Reckitt Benckiser (Easy Off, Lysol, Mop & Glo, Old English, Resolve, Spray ’N Wash, Veet, Woolite), 1655 Valley Rd., Wayne, NJ 07474-0943; 973-633-3600; 800-232-9665; www.reckittbenckiser.com

Richardson-Vicks (Procter & Gamble), One Procter & Gamble Plz., Cincinnati, OH 45202; 513-983-1100; 800-543-1745; www.pg.com

Sally Hansen (Del Laboratories), 178 EAB Plz., Uniondale, NY 11556; 800-645-9888; www.sallyhansen.com

Schering-Plough (Bain de Soleil, Coppertone, Dr. Scholl’s), 1 Giralda Farms, Madison, NJ 07940-1000; 201-822-7000; 800-842-4090; www.sch-plough.com

S.C. Johnson (Drano, Edge, Fantastik, Glade, OFF!, Oust, Pledge, Scrubbing Bubbles, Shout, Skintimate, Windex, Ziploc), 1525 Howe St., Racine, WI 53403; 800-494-4855; www.scjohnson.com

SoftSoap Enterprises (Colgate-Palmolive), 300 Park Ave., New York, NY 10022; 800-221-4607; www.colgate.com

Suave (Unilever), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 212-888-1260; 800-782-8301; www.suave.com

Unilever (Axe, Dove, Helene Curtis, Lever Bros., Suave), 800 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632; 212-888-1260; 800-598-1223; www.unilever.com

Legend

* The company is currently observing a moratorium on animal testing.

PLEASE REFUSE TO BUY PRODUCTS THAT ARE TESTED ON ANIMALS!

5 days without an internet connection is torture!!! Thank God we got our connection back! (screw globe!) anyway, I did miss blogging and staying up til wee hours in the morning just babbling about anything! hahahaha I just hope globe won’t screw up again or else I’ll nuke them myself! haha (kiddin’)

Anyway, another good news… I finished my 200-hour basic Norwegian language course last week. Learning a new language is great. Let me teach you some few sentences.

Hei! Hvordan går du det? - Hi! how’s it going with you? or How are you?

Mange takk. - Thank you very much.

Jeg heter…. . - My name is ….

Jeg komme fra filippinene og jeg ønsker å reise til Norge . - I come from the Philippines and I wish to travel to Norway.

Hahaha. Kuya Raul (our teacher, retired chief nurse in Oslo) taught us so well and gave a lot of information about Norway. He’s really nice, you know, and I am so grateful for all the help he had given us..

(sorry for the poor image quality..)

After our graduation, we celebrated and dined in (Kalye Juan at MOA).

I read someone else’s “7 things about me” and I think I am obliged to post it here too.. so my dear reader, you are mandated to do the same thing in your blog.

1.  I hate green and bell peppers but I love eating pizza with bell peppers but i remove them!

2. One of the things included in my To do list before I die is to discover a new specie of plant/animal/fungi/bacteria/cyanobacteria… hahaha

3. When I was in grade 1, my classmates used to call/tease me “Matutina” — Matutina is a comedian/actress who was aesthetically-challenged and  talked so fast in a high-pitched, perky voice. I don’t why they called me that, maybe it was my hair… just imagine this, my hair is cut like that of a boy and…. PERMED! Just a horrible, ungodly sight!

4.  You will love me when we sleep together in the same bed, because I can fall asleep in one position and wake up in the same position… plus i don’t snore.

5.  I want to visit/travel to Tibet or the Himalayas someday…

6.  The clothes in my closet is color-coordinated and organized according to the function and frequency of wearing them. (OC!)

7.  My younger brother thinks that I eat too much (but I am not fat)… Haha.. sometimes, when I buy food outside, (eg. BBQ on stick) , I hide it underneath the veggies in the ref so that he won’t find it! hahaha (sometimes by brother has a habit of eating some else’s food without asking permission, especially when he’s hungry)