Half of the Year's Rumination

Ilang araw na ring hindi ko na-uupdate ang blog na ito. Simula pa nung nagkaroon ako ng trabaho, ups and downs sa trabaho, pati na rin sa kabuuan ng buhay ko sa kalahati ng taon.

Marami ang nagbago. Buhay single, buhay kasama kaibigan, buhay kasama ang pamilya, pati na rin sa kung ano ang tatahakin sa buhay sa mga susunod na taon. Hindi ko na ring masasabi na maayos ang buhay ko ngayon. Lagi na lang hindi updated ang planner ko, hindi na-a-update itong blog pati na rin ang dapat gawin ko sa araw-araw. Palaging hinahabol ang antok at oras.

Bigla kong nami-miss ang buhay estudyante. Wala kang pakialam kasi ang pera ay nagmumula sa magulang, alam mo na papasok ka bukas kasama ng maraming kaibigan, alam mo na may kasunod pang school year at alam mo na may inuman kayo pagkatapos ng isang buong linggo.

Ngayon, isa nang malaking pagbabago. Ikaw na ang may hawak ng pera mo dahil nakakahiya sa magulang mo sa halos labing anim na taong pinaaaral ka.

Sana, sa susunod na anim na buwan ng taong ito ay maayos ko nang muli ang buhay ko. Lahat organisado, masaya kahit papaano, at alam ang susunod na tatahakin sa pansamantalang mundong ito.

I'll promise to keep this blog alive and hopefully I'll be updating it every single time when I have an awesome moment with family, friends and to random people who never fail to amaze me. Cheers.

Tempra Cocktail

Weird Face Game. Bring It!

Yesterday, although it was kinda late, we went to Chad's house to celebrate his birthday. It was an awesome event because we have met his other friends from their street together with the awesome foods. I remember the time we have had there during our high school days and certainly those events were really remarkable and definitely hard to forget. 

It was a great improvement of our group lately. We're seeing each other's faces more than once in a week and we're getting many than before because on the past few years, we're only three (Me, Dana, and Teddy) attending mass, drinking on weekends, and some stuffs but now, it's a big improvement for us indeed.

Yes, WE ARE THE ILLEST.

Again, happy birthday Chad and hopefully I will be there next week with you guys in Batangas for the two day vacation with my second family, The ICee Clan. Forever and always will be friends.

Remember Remember the Eleventh of November, 2011

November 11, 2001 at 11:11 in the morning & 11:11 in the evening.

I would like to have a toast to everyone who made it at this epic moment. It was a once in a lifetime event for us to feel it as we only see with our very own eyes the happenings occured in this great moment. Next cool thing will be on February 2, 2022. Will we able to see it? I am not sure.

November 11, 2011. Congratulations and you made it this far. This goes to the people born from 19-dot-dot years. Come and let us drink to that! Cheers.

From Student Nurse to a Professional Nurse

This signifies that I am now a duly registered professional. I am legally authorized to practice my profession with all the rights and privileges appurtenant thereto. It is a symbol that I survived the course wherein caring is not just an ordinary thing. It takes great knowledge, remarkable experiences, and sweet sacrifices for you to achieve what is to be achieved. 

2007 to 2009. Imagine, from those days in AHSE (Associate in Health Science Education - a pre-requisite program before you enter the Institute of Nursing) wherein I proudly say that I am not that smart and not that stupid enough in that 24 months. Here are the reasons why:

• Most of my clinical instructors were damn angry most of the time. I dunno why, maybe they want us to suffer that much or maybe it's a good game for them to see who will really survive in this type of course in my school wherein you have to compete against other 10,000+ student nurses. Yes, my school goes for the top spot for having a large amount of college students only for nursing. Imagine that.
• Hardcore Battery examination. The exam that will testify that if you survived the two year course program, you are eligible to be a part of Institute of Nursing from third year to fourth year. Luckily, I am one of the 5,000+ students who passed. First lusot. 
• Interview before entering the Institute of Nursing. A tete-a-tete with a certain clinical instructor. Asking me why I took up nursing, my plans in the future, my performance during my first two years and so on and so forth. Second lusot.
• Suspended. Yes, you heard it right. I admit, during my high school life, I am a grade conscious fella. Now upon entering college, it seems that I am having a hard time earning it because there are some things that you need to consider about it. Some of my friends from other schools were having a great time with 90 and above grades or 1.75 to 1.00 grades but for us, Tamaraws in a nursing career, I tell you honestly, it's not so easy. Now, let's go back to the point of this bullet, I've got suspended due to haircut (during my freshman days), round neck shirt inside a RLE uniform, and another haircut violation (sophomore days). These 3 minor offenses garnered me an award which is equals to 1 major offense that leads me to a suspension. As a price? I helped most of the staff in organizing bulk of papers inside the Dean's office for eight hours. It's not much of a bad thing after all besides, I am having my punishment in an air-conditioned room. Rock.
• Minor subjects that are giving an attitude as professors acting their pre-requisite learning area as a  major subject. I mean seriously, most of them are having a non-sense relationship with my course and yet they are adding up a big weight to us. Luckily, I was able to handle it in a tip top condition. Thanks to my classmates and great friends during examinations. Hehehe.
• Friends and classmates from A07C01, A07B11, A07A29 and A07A25. Surviving first two years of my college life with you is definitely epic. One of the things I've learned from them is that, putting a good laugh in what you are doing and have fun as long as you do not wreck someone's life. Thank you and with respect to all of you. 

The GANGiSTERS Nurses from FEU Batch 2011. Arianne Abesamis and Ian Cabatu were not present in this event.
From left to right: Paul Carlos, Me, Jira Gonzales, Jaime Cortez, Rachel Gratuito, Jean Lim, Sheene Aguilos, and Lorelie Lim.

The BSN 122.
From top to bottom, left to right: Jefferson Javier, Joseph Muñoz, Sheene Aguilos, Angelo Marquez, Anna Marie de Guzman, Carlo Herrera, Paul Carlos, Aey Mocling, Rodfrey Linguete, Julie Martinez, Manelle Irao, Kenneth Imperial, Gerome Manlogon, Clem Manrique, Me, Jira Gonzales, Hazeline Mariano, and Faye Manalastas. 

2009 to April 2011. During our AHSE days, I used to wear those white top and black slacks but now I wore the REAL clinical uniform. The white one from top to bottom.  Now, from school, we are now ready to conquer the outside world in half. Welcome Wei to Far Eastern University - Institute of Nursing. Here are some of my unforgettable experiences as an OFFICIAL student nurse: 

• The never-ending clinical and make-up duties. From health centers to prestige hospitals. From Manila to the northern parts of the Philippines. Truly a wonderful one with 11 of my groupmates. Thank you for all the things you have shared to me and for being a bad arse student nurses as we go along the process.
• The making of nursing care plans (and fabricating some of them sometimes), working on pathophysiologies (my forte in my group), paying completions, giving an incident report (just 1 incident report take note of that for the rest of my life during duties), sleeping the rest of the duty, working from start to end of the duty (toxicity at its finest), endless revalidas and return demonstrations, getting out of the rules and regulations about grooming, fixing our clinical instructors' over head projector when they're having  a hard time to fix before discussion in class, watching some of UAAP games, making duties as an excuse to my parents when in fact I just went to club fist pumpin', and so much more.
• Awesome friends that were always there to back you up during the times that I was so down. The GANGiSTERS and The BSN 122 fellas. Thank you so much brothers! 
• The pre-boards examination in our school that I got a failing mark and gives me the fear that I will not pass the real exam. Furthermore, the so-so result of examination during my stay at a certain review center in Manila. Those were the days that I got so depressed and thinking that what if I will not pass my board examination. 
• And of course, my father's leave to his work overseas to attend just for my graduation day. He literally cried as I was able to grab my fake diploma on stage and upon putting my institute's pin during the pinning ceremony. I am so proud of myself because I gave great honor to my parents' sacrifice for 17 years financially and emotionally in supporting my education. No words can express how much I love them inspite of being so hard-headed most of the time. They are lucky enough to have me as their son actually. Just joking. 

After years of learning in high school, I have never thought that it's not reality yet in college. Instead, REALITY is about to start after graduating from college. Nursing is not for everyone. It takes a very strong, intelligent, and compassionate person to take on the ills of the world with passion and purpose and work to maintain the health and well-being of the planet. Sa WAKAS, gagraduate na rin. Amidst the hardships in this institute, PROUD pa rin ako na ako ay isang TAMARAW NURSE. ♥

May 2011 to July 1, 2011. The days when I am reviewing and the days where I can say the prolonging-the-agony stage I. I got depressed as the day of the exam got nearer and nearer. Luckily, with the help of my parents and friends, they gave me a boost in my confidence by sending sweet and inspirational messages. Here are some of them:

"Dear Wei, no one ever felt ready for the board exam. Pagkatiwalaan mo lang ang sinabi ni Lord na pasado na tayo sa board exam. Hehehe. Kaya natin iyan! Mag-aaral pa tayo, kakayanin natin!" - Dana Therese M. Estrada

"Board exam? Psh, we got a bigger God backin' us up! Rock and top the boards! We deserve it." - Clem Victor R. Manrique 

"Feel at ease, relax. Kaya mo iyan Kulet and good luck. God will will guide you and will be watching you. All my support is there. Alam ko na kaya mo iyan kasi alam ko kalidad mo, hindi ka basta-basta sumusuko." - Papsi Wilfredo L. Ligot

It's funny to think that when I am so giving up, Papsi texted me that and said, "Papasa iyan!"  Thank you so much for these messages. They were truly heart-warming and very uplifting. It really helped me a lot during that time. From those texts, I learned that there is still hope for everything. You just have to believe in yourself and let Him be as your top priority as always.

Just before the Nursing Licensure Examination and while I am reviewing, I was able to receive this schedule.

July 2 to July 3, 2011. As you can see in the picture, the exam was held last July 2 and 3 and yeah, I am the only Ligot from Manila. As far I know, there are three Ligots who took the licensure examination on the said dates. The exam area was definitely conducive for thinking and for analyzing things. I am one of those fortunate ones who took the exam in an air-conditioned room with less noise and distractions. At the end of July 3, I offer all my answers to Sir and hopefully miracles do work. Finally, I can say that it truly is vacation time. Let happy times begin!

July 13, 2011. The day when me and my friends got our diplomas at Far Eastern University (as seen above). We had some talk about the questions in the examination plus our plan in the next coming weeks about job huntin'. 

July 14, 2011 to August 19, 2011. Prolonging-the-agony stage II. Damn, it's so hard to think of how you did well in that examination. Full of hard questions, more of Entreprenurse, the brand of soap recommended for cleaning wounds, the angle of the wheel chair facing the patient's bed, and some other questions that at first it's kinda easy to think and answer but it got so hard because of the nervousness and stress that the exam gave us that time. All that I asked to God that time's a MIRACLE for me to pass the said test. Then;

August 20, 2011. At the start of that day, Sheene called me about the release of the result in the next coming hours. We talked about the what ifs and some things to consider if we will pass the NLE. Then, at 5:30 PM, she called me again saying, "Tang'na d're! RN na tayo! Sabi ni Meh, pasok tayo d're! Waaaaah! Gago d're! Wooh! RNs baby!"  It was a moment for sure that I would never forget as I leaped infront of my auntie and hugged her 'coz she's the only one inside our house that time. Papsi even called and yep, about to cry again upon hearing the result. The next day, I celebrated it with a mass at Greenbelt with my closest high school friends thanking Sir with full exultation and for the blessing He indeed gave to my family. The third lusot.

For security purposes, general average and test scores were blurred. The important things is that, I passed. :)

Be the NURSE first of your country.

And, November 2, 2011. It's the day that I got my professional license as a nurse at Professional Regulation Commission in Morayta, Manila. All those hardships during my college life taking this course were reaped with just taking the examination once. With FAITH on Him and TRUST to yourself, for sure you will get it too in no time. Lucky to be one of the 37,513 passers of July 2011 Nursing Licensure Examination out of 78,513 who filed and took the said exam. Hopefully, this ID will be utilized as soon as my future is concerned. Also, all my dreams of being a private duty nurse will come true. Let's all put high hopes on that.

I would like to grab this opportunity to thank all of the people involved in this process. Deep gratitude to my parents who are always there believing in me and supporting me, to my friends who are always there in front of beers and alcohols as well as during class sessions, to the clinical instructors and professors who never stop giving too much words to memorize and to take note, to some enemies who made me stronger, and to Sir who never fails every time I give thanks and asking for His guidance.

"After four years of college life (Far Eastern University-Institute of Nursing Batch 2011), two months of review (The Royal Pentagon Review Specialists, Incorporated), and a month of waiting, it all ended last night: WILLIE JOE ALBERIO LIGOT, a full pledge REGISTERED NURSE. One take baby!" - My Facebook status (August 21, 2011) 

This journey as a NURSE does not end here. It is just the beginning of everything that I have started as I walk into this not so perfect road. Keep going. Like what Steven Jobs said, "Stay hungry, stay foolish."