A first for National University Volleyball Team

Still frustrated with the defeat of Ateneo de Manila Lady Eagles University Women’s volleyball team in the UAAP Season 75 against the back-to-back, now three-peat champion De La Salle University Lady Spikers, my heart is still pounding watching today’s Men’s Volleyball match between the defending champion Far Eastern University and the first timer in the finals, National University Bulldogs. I do not know but underdogs always have a special spot in my heart. It was do-or-die moment in the third game of the UAAP Season 75 Men’s Volleyball finals at the San Juan Arena this afternoon. Each of the team was serious to snatch the championship title. The Bulldogs were able to rally with an 8-point lead by the Tamaraws and getting the first set 26-24. The second set went again to the Bulldogs, 25-22 and as Peter Torres took the back row, the Tamaraws took the third set 23-25. In the middle of the third set, Bulldogs’ Paglinawan was taken out of the court as he suffered from severe hamstring strain and was substituted by Tekiko who helped a lot in snatching their very first volleyball championship trophy. Torres’ quick hit closed the deal at 25-19. Torres’ quick and high-leaping attacks put his name in the roster of finals MVP.

Spidey attacks Obama

This picture shows the lighter side of the most powerful man in the world. It was a candid shot at the oval office when one of Obama’s staff’s son dropped by the White House on October this year. The pint sized spiderman pretended to be shooting webs at the President and Obama played along. The picture came out after President Obama has been named Time Magazine’s person of the year. Obama’s mellow side is undoubtedly makes him stronger and more powerful.

photo courtesy of the White House

Miss USA is Miss Universe 2012

I woke up past 11:00am and as I opened my Facebook account, I was overwhelmed seeing threads of comments mostly of disappointment over Philippines ending up as the first runner up. Janine Tugonon nailed the Q and A portion and although she struggled a little bit towards the end of her answer, she still managed to express herself brilliantly. Her voice, face and stature remind me of Miriam Quiambao who also bagged the first runner up title of Miss Universe in 1999. We still have so many things to rave about the result of this prestigious beauty pageant. Landing second place is something to celebrate. Kudos! Viva Pilipinas!

Ooops, UP did it again! The 3-peat bid!

It was crazy. My heart was racing. I did not know that what I was watching was the live coverage of UAAP Cheerdance Competition 2012 until I saw a friend’s status update of Facebook. Ofcourse I am rooting for my alma mater UP. The UP Pep Squad has kept the title of being the champion for two straight years. I think that the bar has been raised in terms of the stunts, costumes, routines and props. I was impressed by Adamson University’s and De la Salle University’s routines but my jaw dropped watching FEU’s Pep Squad. They have bene in the top 3 for eight years next is UP that kept seven champion titles. I was nervously eager to see what UP has to put to the table. They UP courtside was alone backstage instead of having the pep squad behind her back giving the audience words enticement. UP Pep Squad hid in the dressing room until the very last minute that their name was called on stage. They wear something more than tamed this time. A skin tone body suit for the girls and under shirts and pants of the same shade for the boys. They are more subdued this time but the girls’ shaved hair made a statement. I was at awe looking how they bodies fly in the air defying gravity and making the stunts as if they are in synchronized swimming. I was confident that everything is in the bag until one group of cheerdancers fell as they tried to form a pyramid at the end of their routine. I can feel my heart was pounding . The host has a good sense of prolonging the agony but it is all worth the wait. National University bagged the third place and I felt relieved hearing that FEU got the second place. I began screaming at the top of my lungs knowing that the first place will be UP’s. It was a clean sweep! UP’s Nicolette Erica Arambulo won the Samsung Stunner award, The UP Pep Squad also placed first in the group stunt competition and sealing the deal is taking home the UAAP Cheerdance Competition 2012 first place!

Getting in tune

Rainy days give me good reason to stay at home. Aside from catching up on sleep and watching my favourite events in the 2012 London Olympics on TV at home, I get to check on the internet some interesting video uploads of those who are doing covers of well-known songs by aspiring musicians. Some just want to make then self noticed and some are really out there to help out some people realize their dreams. Musicians friend seagull guitars are one of the clips that caught my interest because for one I have been dying to learn how to play the guitar. I know that someday my dream will come true.

Summer Olympics gets hotter

He became more famous now more than ever now that he is considered as one of the top seeds of the US swim team. So he scored four medals in the 2012 London Olympics and that makes him hotter. All in all, the 28-year old Florida native has 11 Olympic medals under his belt. He is seen to be signed up for a number of endorsement deals like his teammate Michael Phelps.

Comfy care

I like our hospital uniform. It is old school nursing. We get lots of compliments for it but as dainty as it looks, it is so inconvenient to wear in the dog days of summer much more in the height of rainy season. The typhoon season forces me to be in my casual clothes and just pack my whites so as to keep it as white as they should be. During these times that I wish that we are just allowed to be in grey s anatomy scrub pants in order for us to move freely and to save us from the laundry expenses so we do not have to pack our uniforms to work.

Where in the world is Rob Patt?

Now that Kristen Stewarts affair with Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders is out in the open, Robert Pattinson is taking some time off. Paparazzi and everyone else thought he will be heading back to London to drown his misery after moving out of the house she shared with girlfriend Stewart. News has it that Rob Pat is taking a refuge in Reese Withersppon’s mansion in Ojai estate. Reese's seven-acre ranch provided the actor's much-needed space. Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon teamed up in a movie, "Water for Elephants," and they developed a friendship in the set. E! News reported that Witherspoon offered to the actor her Ojai estate in the wake of the scandal. The actor allegedly already left the mansion is probably staying in a hotel. “heartbroken and angry, and sources tell the magazine that he's been drinking and relying on friends to deal with the pain," says PEOPLE reporter Carlos Greer.

Rest period

For over two months I have stopped going to the gym. I am still in the process of recuperating from the traumatic incident I got myself into. It cause my right inguinal to get inflamed. I feel a whole lot better now but I need to give myself a break for another month or two. I just want to be back to the gym to get my stuff I left in one of the gym lockers. I am afraid that they have taken my stuff away because the rental period for the said locker was over.

Aurora, Colorado a week after

It has been week since the horrific shooting spree in a theatre in Aurora, Colorado during a midnight opening premiere of Batman The Dark Knight Rises. While the first week of mourning coincides with the highly anticipated opening of the 2012 London Olympics, many are still feeling the ripple effect of the tragedy. A makeshift memorial was made to pay homage and as the names of those whose lives were lost, I felt chills down my spine. It took only a few minutes to take 12 lives and to seriously injure more people. James Holmes is now locked up and it will surely take some time to heal not just the superficial wounds but the emotional nightmare each of the victim and their relatives are now enduring.

More reason not to watch movies in theater

My friends who have been my movie-watching buddies have left the country and I being all alone, I do not have the courage to rush to the movie house even though I want to catch the latest flick on the big screen . In the height of the Batman The Dark Knight Rises, 12 lives were lost and 50 plusothers were hurt as a gun man, named James Holmes went ballistic at the midnight showing of the most awaited Batman franchise

I was shaken to the core learning that the suspect came in to the movie theatre armed with heavy ammo and a tear gas in Aurora, Colorado. At first, the moviegoers in the theatre thought that blasting of tear gas and firing of guns in the air were part of the movie premiere. It was too late when they realized the Holmes as aiming the gun at his victims indiscriminately. The youngest victim who died was a 6-year-old kid while the oldest was 51-year-old man. The whole country of America was mourning about this tragic incident and make shift memorial was made in the town of Aurora. Lead actor of the Dark Knight, Christian Bale, went out of his way to pay his respect to the victims in Colorado. The tragedy was just unbelievable. The first lawsuit has been filed against Holmes.


I have been telling that I am not a fan of movie houses, and this recent turn of events made me more disinterested in going too the movie theatre.

Biking gets fun

Among my many entries on my bucketlist is my desire to join a triathlon. I was able to finish 10k in my previous runs, I know how to swim a little and I am sure pro at biking. Ha! I recently joined the a trekker’s club to boost up my desire. I have met up with a fellow member and I am amazed how he is serious about his biking passion. He has several suv bike racks that will secure his bike on his car while trekking the road to terrains.

I wanna be a rockstar!

I have so many things that I want to accomplish in life. One of which is my drive to learn how to play the guitar. I envy those who found connection with any musical instrument. I always smile when I pass by the musical instrument shops along Magsaysay Avenue. I am thinking if I would enrol to music school or just watch demos for dummies on YouTube. My friend is now rocking beyerdynamic dt 770 pro and I cannot wait to lay my tiny fingers on the strings of the guitar I could call my own.

Getting serious

As time goes by, it starts to dawn on me that research is a serious thing in our institution. At first, I was annoyed why our bosses are so frantic it and not until the proposal day I realized that it is indeed a big thing. Being on the third place out of three, I felt ashamed. For me, it means that it is just a consolation. The lowest place we could be in. I told myself to start to be serious about the whole research thing. More than my boss, I want myself to be proud of what I am doing. I commit to share my knowledge in perfecting the topic that we chose. It is not too late to start anew.

Feeling the blow

Fine. It is kicking in. We lost the research proposal contest. The study began in January and it was only in April that I was made the official chair to represent our ward. Admittedly, I did not lash out the inner inquirer and writer in me so I was a bit nervous about the end product of our research proposal. I could sense the frustration in my head nurse who was the overall chairperson for the team. I am expecting water fountains anytime as the blow starts to give the pain and show bruises on her body. I am preparing for it.

And we lost, so what?

Honestly I was more concerned about being on not being on the bottom than winning the research contest. I was obliged to be the presenter to the Research Proposal event as the original one has throat problems. After a series of convincing to stand behind the rostrum I finally caved in. Our group was the first to present and thankfully my nervousness started to subside as I began to speak. I was trying to establish an eye contact but the spotlight that glares infront of me was blinding. I just pretended I was looking at the audience when in fact I felt like staring at the blank wall. I am glad it is over

Give me a break

It is almost weekend and I am planning to have some R & R for my 2 days off after my night shift later. I am planning to go boxing before work andtomorrow after my appointment with the dentist, I want to go out of town. Just in the outskirts of the city. I am thinking of relaxing ambiance, running water in the pond, cushions on the patio and a very good massage.

Bruised

I had my fourth session of boxing at FIST and I tried to be there as soon as it opened today so I could avail of the member’s 50% boxing rate discount while enjoy coach’s full attention. I tagged along my former co-staff nurse who just resigned for a greener Pasteur. After my second round of pure boxing, my coach talked me into trying Muay Thai. Muay Thai is a martial art developed in Thailand in which blows may be struck with the fists, elbows, knees, and shins. I actually have plans off stepping my boxing training up a notch but not this soon. I am just learning the thread of boxing and picking up my speed but the convincing tactics of my coach seemed to work on me. I began kicking landing my shins on the padded training gear of my coach and as soon as I hit the pad, I felt the hurt. I blurted: is this a form of hazing? I was laughing as I enjoyed throwing punches, hitting the pads with my elbows and shins. Coach was so happy seeing me shed sweat and gasp for air. When the fifth round has ended and after some ab workouts, I hit the shower and noticed a pinkish spot on my right shin. It was painful but I am loving the adrenalin rush through my veins.

Being in the know

Although getting more patients would mean income to our company, I feel sad that more and more get sick everyday. Good that most of the expenses are getting paid by the insurance company but more of the patients getting in our hospital drains their own pocket paying their hospital bills. So what does liability insurance cover? Getting health and life insurances are one thing but knowing what you are paying for is another . It is paramount that everybody gets educated on insurance policies so they would not be caught off guard when tough time comes.

Bright lights

In almost all of my shifts, I get to encounter concerns about busted light on the hallway or in the patient’s room. I always call our Engineers to have the cfls replaced and the though they immediately respond to our concerns, I think it would be best to look for a better brand that will help save time and money. This is to prevent the unending cycle of complaints of non-working lights in the hospital.