28 September 2007

"Pinay Na, Nars Pa!"

“Nars!, Ma’am!, Sister!, Sensei!, Ate, Dok, Doc nars!” Ang iba’t ibang tawag sa akin sa mahigit na pitong taon ko sa aking propesyon. Marami na rin akong pinagdaanan at nakilala, kalahi man o hindi.

I am in a profession dominated by women. Nasa mundo ako kung saan kailangan kong mamayani. Kung saan ang ka kompetensya ko ay mga babaeng kasing tatag ko sa aking larangan, kasing tiyaga at kasing sipag. Kami ang mga Filipina Nurses, kilala sa buong mundo dahil sa pagiging totoo.

Nagkaroon ako ng pagkakataon sa aking buhay kung saan naranasan ko na mangibang bayan. I was not ready at that time. Isang taon pa lang akong nakapagtrabaho sa isang maliit na hospital noon bago umalis. Sa madaling salita, “lack of experience”.
My decision to try my luck outside my native land was influenced by how hard our lives back then. I took a flight not knowing what was there for me. But deep inside, I know I can do it.

“World Class Nurses”
kung kami ay tawagin. At hindi ko at ng mga kasamahan kong Filipina kailan man sinira ang tingin ng iba sa amin. Naging mahirap ang buhay ko doon, mas naging mahigpit ang kumpetisyon dahil ibat-ibang lahi ang kasama kong babae sa ward. Ang isa sa nakapagpahirap lalo ay ang kalayuan ng kanilang salita, kultura at relihiyon sa kinalakihan ko. Nangapa ako. Ngunit sa kabila ng lahat namayagpag ako. In the Arab world, Filipina women are just for fun dating. But despite of that, we were able to gain power and placed ourselves at the top in just a fraction of time. We were able to let them see that we are far better than what they think about Filipina
.

Sa naging karanasan ko sa ibang bayan, doon ko naisip ang sagot sa mga katanungan ko na “Bakit mas maraming babae na nars kaysa sa lalaki?” at “Bakit mas magaling ang Pinay kaysa sa ibang lahi?” Ito ang aking kasagutan. Dahil ang Pinay Nars ay may puso. We only not symphatized but we emphatized. The care that Filipina Nurses give is truly from the heart. We inherit that trait from our culture. Grandmother, mother, sister, aunt, we feel the same. Sa bawat paghaplos, sa bawat pagturok ng injection, sa bawat pagpaligo, sa pag buhat, pagpapainom ng gamot, pagsubo ng namin ng pagkain sa aming pasyente ay may kasamang pagmamahal dahil sila ay hindi lamang pasyente sa aming paningin kundi kapamilya.

Sa mundo ko, Filipina ang hari. Sa mundo ko, Filipina ang magaling. Ito ay para sa lahat ng mga katulad kong Nars. Panahon na para mas lalo tayong makilala sa ating larangan dahil tayo ay
“Pinay na, Nars Pa!”

This is my contribution to give "Filipina" a better meaning...

27 September 2007

MEDICAL JOB FAIR THIS OCTOBER!

click the logo for more details

There will be a Philippine International Medical Job Fair on OCTOBER 4-7, 2007 at PICC (Philippine International Convention Center) and everyone is welcome!

Category:

Medical Transcriptionists Medical Editor Medical Practitioners Doctors Nurses Caregiver Physical Therapist Medical Representatives

And there will be Free activities too:
Seminars Product Demonstration Product Sampling Blood Test Skin Consultation And some other fun activities!
SEE YOU THERE!

26 September 2007

Take a Quick Quiz 2: Are you ABNORMAL and a BITCH?

Here is another crazy quiz which I bet you would also be curious to take and find out how abnormal and how bitchy you are! Hahaha! Here is my diagnosis...
You Are 36% Abnormal
You are at medium risk for being a psychopath. It is somewhat likely that you have no soul. You are at medium risk for having a borderline personality. It is somewhat likely that you are a chaotic mess. You are at low risk for having a narcissistic personality. It is unlikely that you are in love with your own reflection. You are at low risk for having a social phobia. It is unlikely that you feel most comfortable in your mom's basement. You are at medium risk for obsessive compulsive disorder. It is somewhat likely that you are addicted to hand sanitizer.
Am I that BITCHY? oh no! It's a LIE! hehehe...
You Are 61% Bitchy
While you may not think of yourself as the ice queen, admit it, you're often in a bad mood. And it's those around you who often bear the brunt of your annoyance, even if they haven't done anything wrong!

Take a Quick Quiz: Is Your First Impression Impressive?

I took a fun test to know what impression I left to people I met. I enjoy it so much so I am sharing this to all of you and might as well try it either! According to the test I make a great first impression...hmmm. well...

You Make a Great First Impression

You can handle almost any social situation with grace, even the tricky ones. Strangers often find you charming and interesting. You are often remembered fondly. Even if you're not naturally outgoing, you can make conversation with anyone if you need to. Whether you were born this way or had to work to get here, you are definitely charismatic. You're popular and well liked. People definitely look forward to being around you. Your social connections bring you a full and rich life. You understand how important it is to make a lasting impression.

25 September 2007

The Other Side of JPEPA

I received an e-mail just a while ago from a group who are campaigning to junk JPEPA (Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement). This is with regards to my recent post about the JPEPA and its benefits for Filipino professionals like Nurses. They pointed out some disadvantages that JPEPA would bring if it will be ratified...and that is the other side of JPEPA. The Junk JPEPA Coalition is right in one thing that the Philippine government failed to disclose publicly of what the treaty is all about and only gave us bits and pieces of information. I guess the public needs to know much of it regardless if they think it is beneficial for Filipinos or not at all.
Here is the full content of the e-mail i received: THE PHILIPPINE SENATE SHOULD REJECT THE JAPAN-PHILIPPINES ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT (JPEPA)

1. The JPEPA is a mega-treaty, a first of its kind for the Philippines; covering not only trade in goods but also services, investments, government procurement, and other matters. Its implications are massive on a political, social, and economic level.

2. Today, the JPEPA is currently being heard at the Senate. Pursuant to the Constitution, the Senators can only cast a YES or a NO vote for this treaty. The Senate has no power to make amendments or modifications. They can either accept it or reject it, as a whole.

3. The secrecy, lack of public disclosure and exclusion of stakeholders, in the processes leading to the adoption of JPEPA, violate the people's right to participate in matters of public interest. Akbayan representatives and concerned groups had to file a Supreme Court case in order to even get a copy of the full text and annexes of the JPEPA.

4. For such a comprehensive treaty, the Philippine negotiators bargained away our future and failed to do their homework. The Joint Coordinating Team Report on the JPEPA states that "the Japanese side provided studies of macro-economic impact of JPEPA." One of these studies is the source of the much-publicized 3.03% incremental increase in GDP if the Philippine Senate votes to accept JPEPA.Why did we not do our own study?

5. Toxic and hazardous wastes are scheduled for tariff elimination despite clear national laws and international commitments. To address the massive protests on the matter, a side note, of dubious legal validity, was subsequently issued to supposedly "fix" the problem but the same note covers only toxic wastes. Clinical and municipal wastes remain. To even include toxic and hazardous wastes, serious threats to our health, our environment, and our lives, is a blatant disregard of the rights of the Filipino people.

6. Contrary to the administration's repeated media statements, Article 93 of the JPEPA reveals that the Philippines waived its right to demand from Japanese investors the obligation to transfer their technology to assist their Filipino partners. The Philippines also surrendered the right to require Japanese investors to hire a given level of Filipinos. This voluntary surrender of rights has not been done by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Even Singapore refused to surrender its right to require Japanese investors to "appoint, as executives, managers or members of boards of directors, individuals of any particular nationality," including those of its own.

7. Article 4 of the JPEPA, a blatant usurpation of legislative power, ties the hands of the Senate and the House of Representatives and requires them to "examine the possibility of amending or repealing laws and regulations that pertain to or affect the implementation and operation of this Agreement, if the circumstances or objectives giving rise to their adoption no longer exist or if such circumstances or objectives can be addressed in a less trade-restrictive manner." This provision does not exist in Japan's agreements with Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. This provision also did not exist in the 2003 Working Draft of the JPEPA.

8. For the Filipino nurses, considered to be among the best in the world, our Philippine negotiators are offering to send them to Japan as nurse aides who are slapped with excessive language and training requirements. While nurses from Indonesia are required only 2 years of work experience and a 3-year nursing course without a national licensure exam, our Philippine negotiators agreed to the requirement of 3 years of work experience for our nurses who undergo 4 years of nursing education and who must pass the national licensure exam.

9. In terms of market access, JPEPA is clearly lopsided in favor of Japanese agricultural and industrial products. The Philippines will drastically eliminate tariffs on agricultural products except for rice (5 tariff lines) and salt. On the other hand, Japan was able to exclude 238 tariff lines, which include a wide range of fish and marine products, vegetables, fruits, seaweed, and footwear. There is much doubt about market access claims raised by the negotiators. For seaweeds, some of the species, for which Japan has made commitments for tariff elimination, do not even grow and/or are not even farmed in the Philippines.

10. Article 27 of the JPEPA mentions cooperation in relation to used four-wheeled motor vehicles; a clear violation of Executive Order 156 that prohibits the importation thereof. It is a clear disregard of a 2006 ruling by the Supreme Court that upheld the validity of the said law. The negotiators have repeatedly said in various fora that national laws will be respected but Annex 1: Notes of the JPEPA clearly show that "On the request of either Party, the Parties shall negotiate on issue such as market access conditions on used motor vehicles." Furthermore, the provisions in Article 27 do not exist in Japan's agreements with Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. This provision also did not exist in the 2003 Working Draft of the JPEPA.This commitment is a serious threat to the 77,000 workers of the automotive industry.

11. Contrary to the administration's claim that JPEPA will spur economic growth for the entire country, one of the studies conducted on the JPEPA by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, a non-stock, non-profit government research institution, concludes that with JPEPA, "agriculture wages decline" and "unemployment rate in agriculture labor deteriorates."

12. JPEPA will restrict local government autonomy, legislative and taxation powers.

13. The administration of the treaty will create bureaucratic and financial nightmares that will effectively wipeout whatever little economic benefits there may be under JPEPA.

14. The JPEPA is but the first in a long line of free trade and economic partnership agreements currently being negotiated by the Philippines, and it will set the stage for all future trade and investment agreements. If we cannot strategically defend our interests in this treaty, what kind of future can we promise to the Filipino people?

15. The Executive branch's insistence that JPEPA be concurred with because the Philippines cannot afford "to miss the boat" as the other Asian countries are negotiating "similar" economic partnership agreements with Japan, is inaccurate. The actual text of the JPEPA and the Philippines' severely limited protections for its own sectors indicate that the negotiators have already caused the Philippines to miss the boat. Surely, the Filipino people deserve a better boat.

This is about our livelihoods. Our lives.

We have faith in our Senators.

JUNK JPEPA.

Para sa Pilipinas, Para sa Pilipino, Magkaisa Junk JPEPA Coalition http://junkjpepa.blogspot.com/ http://www.junkjpepa.org/ ** The Coalition accepts volunteers (lawyers, economists, writers, students, etc). Please feel free to email us. magkaisa.junkjpepa@gmail.com

22 September 2007

Remember the 21st night of September...

Yesterday, September 21, I had spent the whole day and night with one of my closest friends who will be migrating to California this Sunday... We had lunch at Tempura grill, coffee at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Vira Mall. I feel sad because most of my dear friends are n0w far away fr0m me. KR is some0ne who would always make me smile and there is no dull m0ments with him. I could never find a real friend like Karol. KR and I love videoke so much so we ended at Music 21 in Tomas Morato. We sang our hearts out like we never did before! Before our time was up, the last song that was played and were qeued before hand was SEPTEMBER. We were really amazed how coincident it was! Now, the last time I was with my friend would always be remembered by this song. After Music 21, we had another round of coffee at UCC at Ayala avenue. Sometimes it is hard to think that life is so unfair! On why good things never last...on why I have to say goodbye to someone I treasure most. But beyond that sad goodbye is a new life and good promises for KR...that reason eases the pain of letting go. Soon I will be joining them in California. The group will be together again sharing the love we have for each other. There will be a new adventure and more fun for us. Stories we will share for all in the near future.
I will be missing KR so much.

My first m0bile blog

Until n0w technology still amazes me! Like using cellphones to surf Internet and update blog like what I am doing right n0w... Eventhough I am away from my lapt0p, I can still post anytime ìf there are any great happenings ar0und me in real time! How I love my wifi enabled cellphone!

18 September 2007

Mnemonic series No.6: Postpartum Assessment

B - Breast

U - Uterus

B - Bowel

B - Bladder

L - Lochia

E - Episiotomy

==============================================

witness a video of delivering a baby and its complication...

SideDrip: ...and here i am paying the big price?(related to my post earlier)

I went out last saturday night at the ONE ESPLANADE to see Godskitchen brought by BigFish Manila. They featured DJ John Askew, the hottest and the number 1 in the UK tech/trans producer/dj and John Boy Lee from the USA. It was fun,fun,fun and hot!
Actually, i just had a can of light beer.... ;>)

Partying Sometimes Has a Big Price to Pay!

Everytime I see a schematic diagram of a pathophysiology of a certain disease, I am sure that one of its precipitating or predisposing factor is either smoking or alcohol drinking. We cannot blame the fact that sometimes these two things are the "lives of the party". But there is a big price to pay for too much of everything...
Take a look on what happens to our body when we smoke and drink beyond limits!

Personalized Your Blog with a Weather Badge

Bloggers like me really try hard to increase page rank and traffic even gave too much effort for an exchange link. But we also need to make our blog very interesting so that our readers will comeback often. Recently, I have signed up with www.blogskinny.com and they have some widgets there for free to make blog looks more personal. Blog reflects the personality of the writer and the more personal the blog is, the more the readers can connect with the blogger.
The weather badge blogskinny has is an example of a personalized widget. It gives a real time weather condition in your location without any fuss. A simple widget that could increase traffic in your blog and makes it interesting.

17 September 2007

When will Japanese Market be Open for Filipino Nurses?

We have been hearing a lot from the news and other different sources for so long, with regards to job opportunity for nurses in Japan, but the truth is until now, JPEPA or The Japan- Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement has not been ratified yet by the Philippine senate. (B-3 of Business section, The Manila Bulletin, September 16, 2007)
As USA is giving nurses a hard time to get a visa to work there, we are hoping that Japan is the answer but unfortunately, it is not the option either for now.
As soon as the JPEPA is ratified, it will really help provide jobs not only for nurses but also for other professionals like IT and Engineers and it means no quota for qualified professionals! The first two years after ratification will be a trial period. The DOLE or the Department of Labor and Employment and other departments are well prepared now in case the opening will pursue. There will be 1000 slots for nurses and caregivers for the first two years and will increase its number the following years if Philippines will have a good placement in Japan.
The reason why the economic agreement is on hard negotiations is because this is the first time Japan will open its market for Filipino professionals. And JPEPA is the only way the government can see to liberize the restrictions of Japan's visa requirements and if this agreement will not be ratified, there will be a close door for us in Japan.
And Yes, Nihongo is one of the requirements. The original agreement was, the first six months of the nurses' contract will be solely for Japanese language study in Japan. Although they have their employers already, but they are not allowed to start working unless they finished the course and pass the JLPT or the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Upon knowing these issue, The PNA or Philippine Nurses Association strictly imposed that nurses should have the Nihongo study here in the Philippines before leaving. And presently, DOLE is coordinating with TESDA for that matter.
There would always be ups and downs for nurses. This is the moment where we want to fast forward. But all we can do right now is to equipped ourselves and explore the other sides of our profession. We should not allow ourselves to be conquered by our frustrations and anger. Now stand up! And stop checking the net over and over again when will retrogression be lifted!

10 September 2007

SideDrip: Finest Ice Cream Ever!

It`s GELATONE at Greenbelt 3! At 100php per scoop, you can taste one of the finest and smoothest ice creams ever... I selected dark chocolate because I love it so much. Try it!

What I can see outside my window?

View from our hotel inspired recovery room...
Seeing these releases my stress from work.

02 September 2007

SideDrip: My First Trinoma Mall Visit!

My first Trinoma Mall visit was splendid! Although it was raining during our travel by MRT but fortunately, the station ended at the foot of the mall. TriNoMa (Triangle North of Manila) Mall is located of course, in north of Manila, Quezon City. You can find there the most famous restaurants and shops such as Chef d` Angelo, starbuck`s, Yellow Cab, Tokyo Tokyo, etc. and fresh establishments such as Dairy Queen, Five Cows, Taco Bell and more. Each floor has its own breathtaking mini park and/or man made garden surrounded by coffee shops and restaurants.

SideDrip:An afternoon with Sam and Toni....

It was a Sunday afternoon when I and my boyfriend were having some coffee at Glorietta when we saw the announcement that Toni Gonzaga and Sam Milby will be performing for free at the atrium. Well, it`s been so long since I am hoping to see them in person and I was so lucky.

My New Environment

Today was my first day in my new environment. At first, I was a bit hesitant if I can fit in. The fact that came from Davao means I have to compete with my "Manilenya" counterparts. During the interview I was glad that the Medical Director were impressed with my resume and asked me immediately to go on a trial period. Well, it was a great start for me. I must not let the Medical Director down and I must prove to him his impression. I am at the Operating Room and we have few cases that morning. It all went well and I am glad that I have some hospital experience in OR and had been teaching and supervising students as well in same area for almost three years. It really helped me a lot. I never mentioned the "CI thing" to my co-trainees and staffs because I don`t want them to expect a lot from me and/or it might hesitate them to make friends with me or they would ask me a lot of questions which I cannot answer...or am I just paranoid! hahaha! There are times during my first day that I acted like I am still a clinical instructor in the OR because I am used to of imposing what is the "ideal", especially when it comes to violating one of the principles of Aseptic Technique. Hehehe. But, I anticipated this ahead of time so I kept reminding myself that I am working now as a plain OR trainee (I guess this is one hell of a value that I leaned from OR "anticipation"...hehehe) and it helped me to gain control of myself. So far so good, I hope I can established a good reputation and gain more learnings from my new environment especially expressing myself more in Tagalog! hahaha!

Wish me luck!
 
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