Snaps Sports Bar, Sofitel

After attending two graduation ceremonies and getting my award, we headed to Sofitel to celebrate at Spiral but the waiting list was so long. We couldn't wait anymore because we were hungry and it was about 8pm already. We just decided to eat at another restaurant inside the hotel and it was a sports bar called - Snaps. 

My Mojito (P360)

Mom's Margarita (P360)

Some burger I forgot the name!

Mozzarella cheese sticks for (P500)

It's not just a sports club for nothing.  Every wall has pictures of famous athletes. 

And the place was pretty comfortable as well complete with Billiard pool, Casino, and Flat screen TVs.

I wonder how hard it was for mother not to try and play the slots :P

Oh, this pizza was to die for. It was so good I can eat 16 slices :))

My favorite food EVER. When sushi is available...It trumps coffee. (P700+)

Mango cheese cake with dark chocolate for dessert (P380/slice)

The restaurant was pretty expensive and the food served was just okay. The only thing I really liked was the pizza. I'm not a food critique expert but we're all naturally born with the ability to taste and the stuff they have aren't something I'd crave for. Well, I guess you pay mostly for the ambiance. The place is good if you have someone to meet and talk to about business because the place is quiet (when we were there). Or if you and your friends want to drink (and smoke) in a fully carpeted and air conditioned resto, why not? If you're someone who enjoys restaurant hunting/hopping and have a lot of money in your pockets then you can try Snaps. 

Hello Blogspot, again.

For the past few days that I have been stuck here at home, I was just really managing my blog sites (tumblr, wordpress, blogspot etc.). and improving their appearances. However, I found it very difficult to work on all sites at the same time so I figured it'll be easier if I attach my tumblr at the sidebar of my personal blog. This, unfortunately is not supported by wordpress (where my original blog used to be ). I was browsing through the net on ways that I could embed my Tumblr posts on my blog which got me all frustrated because after a whole day of trial and error...I figured that HOLY COW, it's only available on plugins which is possible if and ONLY IF I have my own domain (which, obviously, I don't). It was hard for me to reach this decision of finally transferring into blogger again (AGAIN because my first ever blog used to be here - so I can say that I am a Blogger at heart). It's hard to abandon a blog you have been so accustomed to and adapt to a new one again. It also seems like leaving behind an old part of yourself that's why I was utterly thankful for the fact it is actually possible to import all my wordpress posts into this new blog. Ohhh and I also just noticed lately that there are so few of my friends who use wordpress...so I guess now that I'm on Blogspot again, I can easily track the blog posts of my firends through google connect! HOORAH!

But I'm still having separation anxiety. :))

Snippets of Puerto Galera

I know that this isn't really the best picture of me for the whole world to see but this is the only picture I had with my mom during her Birthday so, It's worth it :) Happy birthday mom! I love you that i would seriously catch a grenade for you :)

I had to think twice before eating the two yolks... Imagine the cholesterol. That's like death by egg. haha! I ate 'em anyways.

I never knew I had such a malandi tita! hahah! Her face was all over the SLR :) But i'm happy for my tita. It's so nice to see her enjoying the life she is living right now.

This, people, is called the Tamaraw Falls. For what reason/s - I do not know. However there are statues of  Tamaraws somewhere near the bridge. I'm just not entirely sure if they placed the Tamaraw because the falls was named as such or the Falls was named Tamaraw because there are statues of the animal which happen to be near the falls. Anyway, do not mind my thoughts. I honestly love this picture of my mom with her siblings - tita beng and tito bong. This is like one of those photos you actually print and post on the fridge. :)

Haha, this picture was supposed to be his "macho ako" picture.

The Philippines is beautiful and it really is more fun here :) A friend of mine said that she just realized how beautiful the Philippines is when she went to Boracay. Yeah, she realized that after her three years of stay here in Metro Manila. Well, I wouldn't disagree because literally, I would die of pollution and traffic and bad-ass lawbreakers in the city. But each and every country has a downside and if you just look at the bigger picture - The Philippines is tremendously rich with beauty and it's just freakin gorgeous. Boracay and Puerto Galera are just a few among the many tourist spots in the country.

Anyway, the trip was for my mom's birthday and it was so timely that it was booked right after my exams. Clean fun and three days with nature. <3

Eustress

You get tired all the time and even if youve put your head in the game...at one point or another, exhaustion tells you to stop. And when you stop, its never gonna be easy to put up the same energy again.
Studying is gut-wrenching- it takes up all your energy until you can no longer process well enough to even know the difference between the state of calmness and excitement.

That's why I like being on my own sometimes...because you have to take time with yourself especially after beeing sucked deep into that hole of craziness. You have to go on a date with You to find Yourself again and to lift your body off of that mudpool of school works and emotional shake. You have to take a minute to remember who you really are and to find the reasons why you continue the things you do.

Everyone needs that lucid interval after being caught up with load of sress and (pardon my language) shit. It is vital that you spend a time of peace and calm to distress and relieve yourself of all the worries the world brings you. Because only then will you be able to regain that sense of passion for hardwork, again.

That's why I never get tired of reading, listening and learning.

I won't give up

From now on:

1. See the good in people. No matter how much bad a person can get, there's always something good in him/her. Look at that. Focus on that. 

2. Reach out and help! Even the simple things can make a difference - may it be in school, the environment or anything under the sun!

3. Appreciate what you have. You have more than enough, never yearn for anything else.

I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences they do a lot to teach us how to use
The tools and gifts we got yeah, we got a lot at stake
And in the end, you're still my friend at least we did intend
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn
We had to learn how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I've got, and what I'm not
And who I am

-Jason Mraz

Through the years, when everything went wrong, together we were strong.

Time comes during duty, most especially in the ward, when thoughts of regrets and "should'ves" pop out suddenly. Being a student nurse isn't a joke - the case studies, concept maps, nursing care plans combined with endless video presentations for minor subjects and draining lectures aren't what you can call 'sisiw' ( as what others call it). The things we do are not simple OJTs like stapling paper on desks, typing, filing papers, dissecting animals or answering phone calls. You think thats hard? why not try taking care of 4 critically ill patients? standing for 8 hours without going to the bathroom or having even a sip of water? try rendering bed bath on a patient with contraptions all over while being shouted at by relatives? With all these sometimes you'd just want to pause and say 'i give up' or 'i can never see myself as a nurse..as in never!'

But what makes me continue? .. aside from the fact that, yes, i cant turn my back and i have no choice - it's the people's stories that gives me that push to work harder each day. When those moments that before entering your patients room, you hear the husband singing 'through the years' to her wife who has undergone multiple surgeries and has been lethargic and bed ridden for more than 2 months or those moments when your patient has right sided weakness and is at the verge of dying yet still makes an effort to grab your hand and say thank you with utmost sincerity or moments when a grumpy patient suddenly cracks a joke on you because he found out that he can go home to his family, moments when you find out that the patient who put so much burden on you yesterday requested for you today because you took care of him so well, or moments when a pregnant mother on labor says something like this "paghinahaplos mo ko nawawala yung sakit...parang may angel sa tabi ko" - moments like that are what I live for everyday. Those are the times when you say to yourself that hey! this is it! this is the profession I want. you see. Nursing was never about how fast you finished your charting or how good you were with monitoring vital signs...it was never about perfecting medication exams or who gets to do more procedures. Nursing is way more than that. Nursing is seeing the unseen blessings - it's seeing humility in a family nearing bankruptcy, it's seeing hope in a patient holding on to dear life, it's seeing Genuine Faithin rosaries tied around patient's wrists and it's seeing and feeling LOVE when family members sing to an unconscious patient knowing that he/she wouldn't be able to hear them but they still sing anyway.  Maybe those are the reasons why nurses are being paid low because in Nursing you get to see life's true treasure and beauty that no one ever gets to experience.

Beyond our knowledge and intense urgency to attend to our patients' needs is that overwhelming sense of compassion.

Nursing is enduring but endearing - mom :)

Signal Fire

I do believe that Highschool, no matter how sheltered I was back then from what the real world really is, was the turning point of my life. It was the time when i've been so inspired by the institution i study in to offer everything I have for others.  Highschool was the time when i'd cry just seeing pictures of poverty in Africa, it was  when I realized how important the environment is, It was the time that I felt so bad not using scratch papers for my notes, It was the time when i'd go in rage seeing mountains without trees, It was the time when discussing Les Miserables in class moved me to tears, it was when the existence of STEP BOX made me realize the importance and true essense of education and it was the time when my mind was opened to the fact that one has to hone his/her skills to make other people happy and not just for self fulfillment. Maybe it wasn't the same impact for all students, maybe it's just me. But until now I find our batch promise which is to PIONEER RADICAL CHANGE, a very important part of my life.

There's just really one thing I'm scared of - to become irrelevant. I don't want to become stagnant and remain stupefied by what other people think of me or by people's judgments. I know that i have so much capability to change the world and i'll never let people pull me down. I won't allow other people to control my way of life. People will always oppose your actions and tell you that some things are just not possible. Yes, people will always criticize you and some people will not even care but that shouldn't stop you from doing things you want to do. It's always scary to take the road less traveled by but sometimes going through that path can be one of the best decisions ever made.

So ever since graduation, I've always thought of ways on how I can pioneer radical change. But school seems like a hindrance to my plans and my to-do lists are just as traumatizing as always. Then again, radical change doesn't necessarily mean something big. Radical change is something that starts from within. So then I looked for something that will challenge myself.



It was just recently or a few weeks back when my friend asked me to join her party and run as secretary for the student council. At first I just wanted to run to support my friend and not for anything else. But through the process and all the hard work we've put into the campaign, I have finally decided to run for the reason that I want to challenge myself - and by challenging I mean, making a change...not just for my own but most importantly for others, for the students, for my school.

Maybe this is going to be the start. And no, I have not been elected but win the position or not, I am definitely going to be proud of myself even just for the fact that i took that opportunity to run for SC. I am honestly thankful for my bestfriend for pushing me and believing that I have the capability to become part of SC. I am grateful for Sev, Kamal, John, Migs and Abi not only for being my ka=party :)) but also for being a family whom I spent three consecutive Sundays with going to different places for our photoshoots (naks!). I am so blessed to have a section who  understood my sensitivity and supported me all the way. It's okay to lose because spending time with my friends and getting tired all day with them was truly worth it and knowing that there are people who believe in me - in my potential to lead and to make a change - is good reason enough to make me feel happy and appreciated.

You see, God is so amazing that when you try new things and accept life trials and take on more responsibilities...He makes it a point that through the journey you gain important people in your life. Because after all, people are what matter most- not positions, not money, not popularity or awards. You have to work hard not to aim for selfish ambitions because then life would be so empty. You have to work hard for people - that's why everytime I study or do things I always use the love of my family and friends as my inspiration.

So yes, maybe this is the start for me...to take on more challenges and take hold of more responsibilities. Elected or not, I am ready to pioneer radical change this coming school year or maybe I should start tomorrow :)