I am sooo tired but it feels good to practicing nursing again. I keep saying to people that I feel like I have a “purpose” again and it’s true. It feels really good to be a part of someone’s recovery.

Hats off to nurses in St. Luke’s who don’t eat, sit, take a break, and always do overtime work without pay. Through them I see the nobility in this profession.

Here are some of the photos that I took last week.

This was taken before 7 a.m. while waiting for someone to unlock the door of the Skills Lab.

Bong and Jacko (hand) were the first ones to perform the actual IV insertion with our instructor, Sir Lee. They were the only ones who enjoyed the benefits of good lighting so I’m extremely happy that I got to take a photo. Yes, that’s blood inside the catheter hub. It tells you when you’re already inside the vein and when you can advance the catheter tip further into the vein.

The one standing up is our instructor, Sir Lee

That’s Kerwin (standing up) and Ron (sitting) practicing how to operate a 3-way stopcock on a severed (dummy) arm. hehe! One of the dummy arms that we used to practice IV insertion on has a connection to a syringe with fake blood so you’ll know whether you’re inside a vein or not. Unfortunately, the because of repeated use, the dummy arm had acquired a big hole around the most frequently punctured part and I think the fake blood mechanism doesn’t work anymore I was reallly looking forward to seeing that work!

With my newfound friends, KC and Ron.

I seriously keep forgetting that I’m in a group with potential work-mates.  I refer to them as my “classmates” though in my mind I try and correct myself by reminding myself that we’re about to work, we’re already nurses, and that this is a screening process.  Would *LOVE* to work with these two around though!

I have been itching to blog since Tuesday but unfortunately, I haven’t been able to access the internet since Monday!!! Turns out our modem got busted… ngarr… I haven’t been able to send photos, do my job, e-mail, AND BLOG! *sigh* Anyway, lots of things happened this week:

Had my IV therapy training! Unfortunately, my 2nd attempt [official] attempt at IV (Intravenous) insertion was unsuccessful. Apparently, I had inserted the needle at too low an angle and my target was a bit askew. It was a little disappointing but I’m determined to get a better at it. So who wants to volunteer to be my “dummy”? I’m giving away free candies. heehee!

I also sat in on lectures about Pain.  I honestly had no idea there was a whole unit dedicated to Pain relief. St. Luke’s has a “Pain Buster” team and it is the one you phone when a patient complains of pain.  Isn’t that neat?  I always just assumed all doctors knew how to handle this problem.

For our return demonstration, we had to memorize a whole manual full of procedures that are at least 10 steps each (some have 20-30 steps).  I realized how rusty I’ve gotten at memorization since I enrolled in Nursing and since I turned 25.  My memory has deterioriated significantly.  I can’t memorize as readily as I used to.  Makes me want to bang my head on the wall for not taking advantage of my youthful brain when I was in Ateneo.  Haha! Oh well what’s done is done.  I guess I just have to compensate for it by studying harder :p

*Sigh* I wonder what’s in store for me this coming week?

This week:

Intravenous Therapy Training - quizzes, lectures, return demonstrations

Assessment of Geriatric, Adult, Pediatric patients.

Neuro, Cardio, and Pulmonary Assessment

Workshops on various chart forms

Pain Management workshop

Next week:

Clinical Duties

It’s like we’re squeezing in 4 years of Nursing in to 3 months! haha! I’m having fun but at the same time I can’t help but look back and miss my friends whose personalities I’ve grown accustomed to.  It’s so difficult adjusting to a new set of people!  I can’t help but think about how much easier all of this would be if only I was my regular set of friends…

This week is almost over.  *beaming*

I have NEVER felt THIS excited for the weekend to come… EVER.  Roughly 20 hours to go… and I’m flying off to sleepy land. I can stay in my ratty old PJ’s till 3 p.m.. I can eat breakfast at 2p.m.  I can browse through Sanriotown and all its cuteness ALL I WANT.  I can watch T.V.  I can download all the shows that I watch.  I can watch movies.  And most importantly… I can spend some time with my family and mbf and his niece.   Can’t wait.

Rei Kawakubo, founder of Comme des Garcons, looks like Edna Mode (sans the eyeglasses) from The Incredibles. Was Edna Mode created with Kawakubo in mind or is it the other way around? hahaha!

I have lots of Annik-dotes, as you can see. hehehe!  So this happened last night while I was listening to some music on my laptop when she came to see what I was doing:

*”The Prayer” by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church is playing on iTunes*

Auntie: Hey Annika, did you know that Auntie’s the one singing here

Annika: *looks glares at me*

Auntie: *starts singing to The Prayer, opera style*

Annika: Auntie, your voice is weirder than I thought.

LOL!

Goodbye, vacation! Hello training! Aah, FINALLY… my Nursing Staff Effectiveness Training at St. Luke’s starts tomorrow later.  I don’t know what to feel really… maybe a mix of dread and excitement.

I’m sadly saying byebye to my bed (to whom I’ve established a loving relationship with!) because I won’t be able to spend much time with it now that I will be juggling training and part-time work.  I’m also going to miss my nieces and nephew who keep me happy during the hours I’m awake and at home.  Byebye to stress-free bum life.

Hello PRESSURE *smirk*.  My cousin told me 3 times at dinner tonight “Galingan mo ha!” (You better WORK IT! Well not really… hehehe! He said Make sure you do really well)… WAH.  Even before the reminders to do well, I am terribly fearful of not being able to answer questions, fumbling, not remembering what I learned, not being able to perform certain nursing skills… NOT BEING GOOD.  So, I’m dreading the next 3 months as I expect it will be filled with challenges I am afraid of failing…

Ahh, but enough of that… I CAN DO THIS!… Even if I’m in hideous duds and shoes.

Rhonda Byrne will help me through it.  Heehee!

At bedtime:

Annika: Mom, can you tell me a story?

Mommy: Okay. Once upon a time, there was a little girl who said to her mom “Mommy can you tell me a story” and her mom said “Okay, Once upon a time…”

Annika: *Glaring* Mom, your story is freaking me out…

I’ve been asked more than once to dish out some advice on men’s fashion, and to be honest, I never got around to doing it because I’m intimidated by the task. It’s a particularly daunting project for me because I don’t really know if I can dress a normal guy with normal but stylish clothing. I’m more of the gregarious, don’t-care-if-I-look-like-a-clown-to-you, type of person who is normally unafraid of mixing polka-dots, stripes, and checks all in one outfit. I’m afraid of having the guy vehemently refuse to wear an outfit I put together because he thinks he will look like a clown.

I suppose this is just insecurity and fear of rejection on my part. However, since I’ve had a lot of time to think lately and I realized that I AM a little old to be second-guessing myself and having these type of insecurities, I am just going to dive right in and just grab this topic by the balls (sorry, couldn’t resist). After all, those who know me and still approached me to ask for some advice wouldn’t have done so if they didn’t trust my sense of style, right?

So before we get right on to picking out the clothes and putting things together, there are certain things you need to know:

ONE: No matter how expensive your clothes are, if you don’t look clean, you will look like you bought clothes from the sale rack of a dollar store. Conversely, if you are wearing clothes from the sale rack of a dollar store and you look clean and presentable, you will look like you stepped out of the pages of GQ or Vogue Men.

“Clean” doesn’t automatically mean having short hair, or being clean-shaven. It means that if you have long hair, you know how to tie it back when the occasion calls for it. Or, if you have a beard, you trim it regularly so you don’t look like a Hermit. This is very basic, yes, but I still notice quite a number of men who don’t pay particular attention to the rules of personal grooming. Here are the top three offenses:

a. Peek-a-boo nose hair. I think this is worse than a cliffhanger (booger) because you can see this everyday and yet you do nothing about it.

b. Dirty nails / toenails. Unless you have a very good excuse to have black gunk under your nails (like you’re an auto mechanic by profession), you should always keep your nails clean, for aesthetic and hygienic purposes.

c. Bad breath. Sometimes it’s a medical condition, sometimes, it’s just pure neglect. This is a major, major turn-off. Unless you work or are in a class with people who will love you unconditionally, always always make sure you don’t have bad breath. All of us have a tendency to have this, so it’s important to read up on its causes and ways on how to prevent it from ruining your social life.

TWO: Always wear your correct size. Not a size larger nor smaller. Women are guilty of wearing clothes that are a size (or two sizes) smaller while men tend to choose clothes that are two sizes larger. Ok, I admit wearing a roomy t-shirt is super comfortable. However, other people won’t be comfortable looking at you. So please, know your correct size and dress accordingly. Again, if you are wearing an expensive suit that’s a little too big for you, you will look sloppy and someone will probably think you bought your suit from a low-end department store. And girls, don’t you think men who have the right-size suit on look EXTREMELY HOT?

THREE: Do not shower with your perfume. We all love guys who smell nice, but please don’t force us to smell you even when you’re 5 cubicles away. This tells us you’ve got some bad odor you’re trying to hide.

FOUR: Always remember putting a little more effort into how you look does not automatically make you gay, vain, or effeminate. I know that not ALL guys believe this but to those who DO think that guys who are “trendy” are gay or have a tendency to be gay… sorry but I personally admire men who make an effort to look nice and clean. They are all the more desirable, actually. BUT (and it’s a big BUT), don’t ever care more about your hair or your shoes more than you do your girlfriend. heehee! Oh, and wearing pink won’t make you gay.

I think these four basic tips should be kept in mind while dressing for any occasion, ANY time. I could think of other tips but then those would probably serve MY preferences rather than majority of the general population.

For the succeeding parts I will be dishing out some ideas on casual wear for school and work, formal work attire, and formal attire. Since I’m not really an expert on this matter, I will be referencing a lot to other websites/magazines for tips. Don’t worry, though… I promised myself not to suggest clothing that will only work for male models… I’m keeping normal people in mind heehee! BUT please, do keep an open mind!

Next up: Casual wear!

Photos courtesy of:

blog.thisnext.com

thisgardenisillegal.com

therabreathwarning.com

neimanmarcus.com