Top 10 Things I learned in 24 Years

 And so I turned 24 yesterday. I feel like it's a perfect time to sum up the learnings I had over the years.

1.       Treasure your body.

You may have all the money in the world. You may have the prettiest face on earth. You may have all the fame and success but it would mean nothing if your health is so bad that you can’t enjoy life.

2.       Bad, nasty, evil people exist.

Unfortunately, these kinds of persons really do exist. Some are so destructive that they would go out of their way to see you crumble and fall. IGNORE. STAY AWAY FROM THEM.

3.       Saying “Sorry” wouldn’t hurt.

Our ego and pride would lead us to our downfall. Humans are not even close to perfect. Admit when you did wrong and apologize. So choose to lose your pride to someone you love, instead of losing your love just to save your pride. And when I say love, it covers all the people you treasure in your life. 

4.       There is always someone better.

If you compare yourself to others, you will become vain and bitter. For there will always be someone greater or lesser persons than yourself.

5.       Happiness is not complicated.

I think we like to complicate things when it’s really simple. Find what it is that makes you happy and who it is that makes you happy and you’re set. Promise.

6.       Life is a scavenger hunt.

Sometimes you have to go through it alone. My advice would be to go through it as fearlessly as possible.

7.       People would say something whether you did well or bad.

I cannot reiterate than even more. Don’t ever, ever let the opinion of others consume you!

8.       Family/Friends = Awesome

Family doesn’t just mean people related by blood. They can also be your friends. And they are the most awesome people on earth you can have. So if you have a couple of true friends, hold on to them! They are priceless and are indeed essential to your happiness!

9.       Say a little prayer everyday.

Don’t lose faith if you think He’s not listening. Because some of God’s greatest gifts are those unanswered prayers.

10.   Dream BIG.

It’s free. Take advantage of it. Your dream will always defeat reality if you can just give it a chance.

xoxo,

P ♥

No Money!

Checking my bank account online, if my check's been deposited already:

ZEROOOOOO!!!!

Shoes, Oh, Shoes

As I was checking out Forever21's online store, I found some adorable shoes! What made me excited is that these shoes are wearable this Fall season. I cant wait to get my hands on these babies! If I could only buy em all, I would. If you have to choose TWO, what would you choose?

 Suedette Stiletto Ankle Boots

$26.80

Floral Wedges

$26.80

Suedette Lace Up Wedges

Suedette Sling Back

Leopard Peep Toe Stiletto

One hell of a NCLEX EXPERIENCE.

It was 8:30 am and I am anxiously waiting at a café infront of the testing center. I was too early for a 10am appointment.  While waiting, I decided to recall the normal values I memorized, the meds, and the disease processes I am so familiar with.

And then, it’s time. I took one deep breath and stood up. My mind was really like floating in the air as I really can’t understand what I’m feeling right that moment. My insides were like shaking.  The lady at front desk asked for my right hand, and I gave her my left. She said she understood and gave me a smile.

Then the next lady gave me something where I could write down my computations and stuff.  The testing room was a bit small but really didn’t bother me. I sat down and said a little, quick prayer. Took my shoes off and put my feet up the chair. :)) Just to make myself comfortable amidst the sickness I’m feeling inside.

I read the first question and I was like, “WHAT WAS THAT??” I thought the first question should be an easy one?? Seriously. I was asking the computer back. We were like a couple that got into a fight and couldn’t understand each other. The questions went on and on. Until I had a Dopamine titration computation. I told myself, “Atlast I have something I am sure of.” After each question then, I was losing hope. The minimum questions the computer can give you is 75 and max is 265. And mine shut down at 75. So it means this early, my fate had been decided. I walked out of the room trying to accept that I failed.

50% of the question were SELECT ALL THAT APPLY.  40% were Prioritization and Delegation. I had one Drag and Drop question. Disease process. One Exhibit question.

Some would be curious of how I prepared for this beast. This is how:

I took a week off from my work. Gathered my books. (Saunder’s Compre Review, Kaplan Strategies, Prioritization Delegation Assignment by LaCharity) And looked for a café to study at. I spent 7 hours a day for that whole week. I even had nightmares of NCLEX questions before the exam. And that’s how stressed I felt.

For future takers who might want to know the questions I got, I’m sorry I couldn’t state the exact wording but here are those that are still crystal clear in my mind:

-Select All That Apply. About Continuous Positive Airway Pressure/CPAP, Synchronized Intermittent Mechanical Ventilation/SMVP, Liquid Oxygen, Quality Improvement

-The patient was prescribed Med-A, which of the following indicates a correct understanding of the med prescribed? SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. (This type of questions are the worst. Also known as “SATA”. And I had 50% of them. A lot of nursing teaching about meds in SATA mode. Why the hell could they just make it all Multiple Choice! Just saying. J)

-Meds like Oxybutynin, Aricept, Haldol, Epogen, Theophylline. The rest I couldn’t remember.

-Disease process like Huntington’s Dse, Acute L. Leukemia, Meniere’s Dse, Hypothyroidism,  fluid imbalance like Hypocalcemia

-Dopamine titration computation, Intake computation given in oz. where I went mad because one of the intake given was stated as “1 baked chicken” I was like, wth? How am I supposed to know how much that 1 baked chicken is? So I just decided that it might be 1 oz. Whatever. J

-Airborne, Droplet, or Contact Precaution.

-Drag and drop type question. (Donning of PPE)

-Exhibit type question. ECG strip was given and I’m supposed to choose among the following choices which one could be the most possible reason why the client’s ECG shows like that.

-Like what I’ve said, 40% of Q were like “Which of the clients would you see/visit  FIRST.” Which of the clients would you call back FIRST.” “Which of the ff clients could you delegate to a nursing assistant or an LPN.”

THE REST IS HISTORY. :D

It was an agonizing 48h before I could get the result. And yes, I did it. K.O.!  :)

Thank God.

Thanks to my family and friends who have been supportive. You know who you are. And there’s this one special person who already had a gift for me the day before the exam coz he said he knows that I can make it.

Lastly, salamat sa mga taong naging masaya para sakin. 

NCLEX RN Application in NY State

I made this post so that I may be of some help to those who might want to apply for RN licensure in NY State.

First, you need to visit CGFNS.org webiste. Or you might want to check this link http://www.cgfns.org/sections/programs/cvs/ All the information you need is there including the fees and requirements. It is not necessary to have a SSN to apply. Create an account, select CVS service and be ready to pay for around $390 for online application. (Paper application costs much than online.) Hold on to your CVS application requirements.

Second, visit nybon website  http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/nurse/ On the left side, click on the link that says Application Forms for RN. Print out and fill Form 1 and Form 3 (Form 3 if you held any license in any jurisdiction) *If you were educated outside the U.S., submit a copy of your nursing diploma in the original language.

Don’t worry much about the Infection and Child Abuse. You can do this online. I finished both with one sitting infront of the pc. What happens is that you have to read info regarding the said topics and after each topic you will be given a short quiz just to make sure you understood what you read. It was easy. But of course these trainigs are not for free. Here’s the link of official providers http://www.op.nysed.gov/training/caproviders.htm Just look for one that offers online training. It is legit because they were directly from NYBON website. After the course you will be aske dif you want to print your certificate. Click PRINT.

Third, so now that you have everything printed out and filled, notarize the pages needed. Now send (thru mail) your requirements to their respective address. Oh and don’t forget to include your $143 check in the envelope for NYBON.

Now sit back and prepare to have a long wait. I sent my application July 2010, received my ATT March 2011.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask.

Camaron Rebosado Recipe

A week before Christmas, I was already planning what to cook for our Noche Buena, though it would just be me, Daddy and Mike who's gonna celebrate together I wanted to make it special. I was thinking of something easy to prepare and would require a short time to cook since I will be coming from work that day. So, Camaron Rebosado, Baby Back Ribs TGIF style and pasta made the list. The Baby Back ribs of course is not an easy-to-prepare dish since it'll take like 2 hours to cook. Good thing I was allowed to get home early so I was able to get it done on time! :) Ok enough with my blah-blah! Let's get down with the recipe! 

Camaron Rebosado

 Ingredients:

1/2 kilo shrimp, peeled and deveined (leave the tail part unpeeled)

1 can Sprite or Mountain Dew

8 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon salt

2 pieces raw eggs

1 tablespoon fresh milk

cooking oil (enough to deep fry the shrimp)

Instructions:

1. Marinate the shrimp in Sprite or Mountain dew for 15-30 minutes.

2. Combine flour, cornstarch, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix well.

3. Add the eggs and milk. Stir until mixed well. (This will be a bit challenging if you'll do it manually. Patience is the key. :)

4. Heat the pan before pouring the cooking oil. Allow time as well for the cooking oil to heat up.

5. After making sure that the oil is hot enough, dip a piece of shrimp in the batter (except for the tail part) then deep-fry until the color of the outer part turns golden and the texture becomes crispy.

6. Remove from the pan then place in a plate with paper towel (to absorb excess oil).

This is best served with sweet and sour sauce! Serve immediately before it turns soggy. :)

P.S. This is my first time to try this one out but it really went well. Just stick to the instructions and follow the measurements of the ingredients strictly and everything will be perfect. But please do remember, shrimp needs just a very short time to cook. So FOCUS. :)

Feel free to comment if you tried this recipe, have tips or other version to make this recipe even more delicious. Thanks! :)

Just a poem

Out of the blue I decided to check my friendster account http://profiles.friendster.com/4293597 and surprisingly, there are still pending comments and requests waiting to be approved. Oh well, I stumbled upon my fs blog and here is one of the poems I published publicly. This was when there was a HUGE gap between me and my close friend. I was like so confused back then on who to choose. Good thing we had an open mind and soon patched things up. :) This was way too old! :)

my solitude.

Thursday, August 18th, 2005

"humor".. feels like im havin’ a tumor
the not-so-happening was so sudden
hesitating to go further more
for it’ll bring catastrophe to our haven..
as if i was under the chair
crumpled up with a lost stare..
confused with what determines the silence
affiliation was not merely dense
i found evry1 bothered
but no one actually answered
and i don't want to go on speaking
because i stayed there waiting..
"i have no idea what happened but now I am not the same."

Dig it? :) Hopefully I'd be able to find more! :)