I love Nature!

I've just started my own little business! It's actually a buy and sell kind of thing. It's small but viable, and I'm loving it. Gandang Kalikasan Inc. has opened a new line of affordable, organic, chemical-free skin and hair care products called Human Nature. This is a part of the Gawad Kalinga program and is made 100% by Filipinos. Two weeks ago, I was desperately looking for a body butter that would help my poor, very dry and very cracked hands. Coincidentally, a friend of my mom's gave her one of Human Nature's body butter's. And guess what, I loved it! The products are great! They feel really healthy, it's as if I'm feeding my skin real fruits. And they smell so delicious, that the phrase "good enough to eat" has never been so appropriate! And so, on February 14th, I officially became a Human Nature dealer! The rest is history. And here I thought I didn't have a single seller's bone in my body. And I'm proud to say that I'm doing quite well!
It's a small thing, but I feel like this was one of those aha moments, wherein one feels that she's made the right choice. (Which I have) I'm glad I jumped on this opportunity. Now, I'm happily -- shall we say -- minding my own business!

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

I got off from work 2 ours later than the regular 8-hours this morning (not that it's the first time). One of our patients went all "toxic" all of a sudden. The adrenaline rush is preventing me from sleeping, thus, even after a grueling night shift, I am still able to write on this blog.
Valentine's Day is just around the corner! But that's not what really concerns me right now. February 14, 2010 is also the Chinese New Year, which gives me another chance to start (and re-start) anew! Plenty of my supposed new year's resolutions are still untouched. Some are half -done (half-started, rather); and some aren't going so well.

For starters, after promising never to be late for work again, I find myself.. well, late..again and again! Also, I think that I might be losing my mind. Seriously.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the unthinkable happened. I forgot my boyfriend's birthday.
Sheesh! As stupid as it seems, it actually happened, and if only I could split myself into two, I would've banged my own head against the wall! I'm forgetting things at work, too, plenty of times! My head's up in space somewhere, and it's been there since January. I NEED NEED NEED to bring it down!!

On the upside, I'm driving now! I drive to and from work during night and afternoon shifts, with my dad at the passenger's seat of course. My grandpa allowed me to drive his automatic so I can practice. So far, I'm still in one piece, and so is the car. And if you don't count the few times I accidentally stepped on the gas instead of the break, then I would say that I'm doing okay.
I'm taking painting classes again. It's a tad bit expensive, though. Then again, what's not nowadays? I've also learned to use the sewing machine! I already finished my first project - a plaid purse complete with zipper!
Jewel's coming over next week, all the way from Manila just to spend some quality time with moi! It's definitely something to look forward to! My brother's love life is going pretty well. The girl he's so discreetly dating is really pretty. I haven't met her but I think she's very nice. I'm really glad for him. And lastly, I'm at the last chapter of Fundamentals of Buddhism, the book that I've been trying to finish since last year!

Huh. My first 2 months of 2010 weren't so bad afterall. Still, the downs are there. I know what I need.

Love.

kidding.

I need to focus. FOCUS, darn it, if I'm ever going to make something out of the rest of my 2010.

Weddings

Another one of my friends is getting married!!! That's the 4th wedding happening this 2010; and 3 out of the 4 are my workmates'! What is it with this year?!
We were, actually on our way home from the first wedding. We were just talking about wedding stuff and about and how happy the newly weds looked. Then ---- when she dropped the bomb.

We literally screamed ourselves hoarse.

It was a surprising bit of news, that one. It was crazy! I was so shocked, I couldn't stop screaming. We were all so happy for her! They had apparently, been planning this wedding since August. I can't believe she kept this from us for all this time!

Before they dropped me off, we parked in front of our house and made her tell us everything! With the rain softly patting outside and the radio playing love songs, it felt just like one of those-girl bonding movies. She sounded so happy! And it felt great because I was happy, too.

Tonight was incredible! I got to see how happy our friends were, even though not all of the marriages were 100% planned. At the dinner party, the new groom was practically glowing alongside his new wife. At the dinner table, the next groom-to-be was also giddy with excitement for his own wedding the following month. And now this.

I feel really blessed to have happy friends.

It's funny though. Most of these friends are about the same age as I am. And they're, well, getting married! They're already talking about kids, and building a family, a house, their future, and what am I concerned about?? Clothes, vacations, and blogs. Haha. Oh well.

Disneyland?

My cousin Lesley is getting married! So my cousins and I threw her a Disney themed shower party! Now, her wedding's not until May, but we just couldn't wait! Naw, this was the only time that we could all get together before the wedding frenzy, so we just jumped on the chance. And since we've got kids with us, not to mention male cousins, we really couldn't make it naughty, could we? ^^,


(From left to right) Meet Aladdin, Russel, Pocahontas, Bell, Lilo, Cinderella, Nala, Marie, Mulan, Ariel, Tinkerbell, Woody, and Snow White.




The butterfly wings are my baby cousin's. I couldn't find butterfly wings. This was the best that I could come up with. ^^,

Hello 2010 ^^,

Hello 2010! New year, new beginnings, new resolutions. Time for a fresh start! I spent new year's eve at my grandmother's house, traditional family get-together. At 12midnight, we all climbed up to the open veranda and watched 360 degrees of fireworks! It's the year of the tiger. A good year My year. ^^,
Last December had been the busiest! It was funny because December went by pretty slowly. It was just packed with activities. I was barely home! The ICU had been just as busy and unforgiving as ever. Patient census usually drops by the year's end. But no, they just kept on coming. The holidays this year, er, last year, was also a lot less festive. The holiday spirit seemed a bit thinner. It didn't matter though. We ended the year with a bang!

Love hurts

It's 3:14 in the morning, and here I am blogging because I am still wide awake with plenty of mixed emotions that I desperately need to let out. Plus, I haven't blogged for 2 weeks now due to my newest addiction - DA (deviantART). I just got home from another night out with friends. After work, we went to Cagayan de Oro's infamous Night Cafe. At the city's center, we have a plaza, and every weekend, they would close the roads in the area, and vendors and sellers would spread their wares on the streets forming a sort of bazaar. Ukay-ukay in short. By the time we got out of the hospital, it was past midnight and most of the stalls were half empty. It was time for them to pack up. Nevertheless, we wandered through the remaining stalls and dug through the piles of clothes, bags, and shoes. My friend was able to buy a bag that cost P100. We then went to McDonald's for Coke Floats, ice cream, and fries. *Sigh* All that exercise just went right out the window! I came home at about 2:30am.

Now, I live in a very, very big place, which makes it hard for anyone to here if someone is at the door. After the cab left, I pounded on the gate for about 10 minutes. I wasn't surprised to find that no one heard me. So, I took out my phone and dialled my sister's number. I was gonna have to ask her to open the gate for me. Much to my horror, I couldn't reach her phone. Now, I didn't wanna have to call my mom or dad. I wanted to avoid AT ALL COSTS, any form of scolding or talking to. So I did what any red-blooded woman would do in desperate times.

I climbed over the gate.

Past all the bushes, the spikes and the electric wires, yes I climbed over our huge, metal gate - successfully! I might add. I got a small cut in my finger for that, though. It wasn't my first time to sneak around at night, but it was my first time to actually climb over a gate. I felt like I was breaking in! Even so, I think it was actually pretty cool. I felt pretty good, like I just overcame a great obstacle - which I actually did, literally.

I've been living life pretty carelessly, these days. And I have the scars to prove it. Within a span of 3 weeks, I have had a bruised knee from jetskiing, a swollen foot from skim boarding, very dark and sunburnt shoulders from going to the beach 4 times in a row, bug bites all over from the same reason, a scar on my right hand for being careless in the ICU, and the winner.. ding ding ding! A dog's bite/scratch mark on my right leg. I have had 3 skin tests already (a sensitivity test wherein they inject a small amount of the drug just underneathe the topmost layer of the skin). It is the most PAINFUL THING IN THE WORLD! I still have, oh.. about 4 more injections to go. I maybe a nurse, but needles still scare me a bit, especially when they're pointed at me.

Oh and did I mention? I also have an aching heart. He's gone now. Well, I made him go. But hearing him cry -- it was even more painful than the 3 skin tests combined. I felt rotten to the core. I know he feels worse.

Incubus sang, "Love hurts, but sometimes it's a good hurt. It makes me feel alive." All these scars I have, they do hurt (especially the injections), but I feel incredibly alive. They're like a breath of fresh air! Especially because they feel like an adventure. This heartache I'm feeling, it makes me alive alright. It makes me feel... human.

God, I miss him.

Beach day fun.

We went to the beach the other day. I guess this is one of the many perks of living in the probinsyas. The beach is a mere 15 minutes away, and it doesn’t take a great deal of planning to get there! It started out as a gloomy, cloudy day – which was perfectly fine because none of us brought any sunblock. Later on though, the clouds would part from time-to-time, allowing the sun to peek through. So by lunch time, the sun was gleefully blazing down on our bare backs and shoulders. But nothing would stop us from having our beach day fun! We feasted on boiled bananas, salted fish, some rice, bread, and left-over chicken for breakfast, and ate the same thing for lunch. We rode out on a banana boat! It wasn’t my first time on one, but it was my first time off! I hit the water pretty hard- all of us did actually. It was a painful experience indeed! I thought I broke a rib or something, and on the way home, there was talk of getting x-rays! We played sung-ay in the water- a game where 2 pairs try to knock each other off whilst seated on their partners’ shoulders. My team won! And we took a whole lot of pictures! I brought my camera along and grabbed the opportunity to practice. I was able to take a few good shots! It was the perfect way to unwind and de-stress, worrying about nothing except not getting enough salt in our hair and not getting enough pictures. We all came home with our skins sun-burnt, and a couple of shades darker (not to mention redder), hearts considerably lighter, and faces aglow with laughter. It was happiness- all the way!