Weekly Photo Challenge: OCEAN

This week’s theme by WordPress is OCEAN. This shot was taken last year during our last vacation. This was in Amana Waterparks.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: SPRING

This post is actually a week late. This theme was last week’s. But I had to wait for this trip to Al Ain Paradise, so I could get nice pictures to post for the theme.

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Al Ain Paradise is a stunning garden located in Al Ain City, managed by Akar Lanscaping Services and Agriculture.  The garden had set the Guinness World Records achievement last year with 2,426 hanging flower baskets.

Last 28 February 2011, they organized an attempt to break their own record by expanding the garden with 2,968 flower baskets. The garden STILL holds the record then for “the largest number of hanging flower baskets” in the world.

Check out the Al Ain Paradise site HERE.  Check out the record at the Guinness World Records HERE.

And here are some of my photographs. You might want to click the image to enlarge it.

God’s creations. Simply wonderful.

Why I became a nurse

I am actually not sure why I chose this career, except that nursing was something that I have always wanted to do as far back as I could remember.

I was in grade-school when I was brought to the hospital to be checked for complaints of abdominal pains. I was not admitted that time, but I saw how nurses worked around and I was completely amazed by the skills and caring attitude they showed to the patients. I guess that started it all.

I come from a clan of teachers. But I had one aunt who worked as a nurse in the US, and I can say, she was one of my influences. I did not see how she worked, but I saw the good life she had and the life she provided for the family back home.  I came from a poor family myself and I thought, I would want a profession that would fulfill, not only my life goals, but would provide economic stability as well.

So when I was about to make a career choice after high school, I decided to choose a path that would allow me to be in a helping mode, and at the same time,  earn enough to be able to uplift my family’s economic conditions. During that time, nursing was a popular choice, even for males because the job was in-demand in the US, and it was easier to get there with this profession as a passport. I thought, I could also bring my family to the US and start a good life in the Big Apple.

It was a rough road trying to finish the 4-year course.  My parents found it difficult to pay for the school fees and on my first year alone, I almost transferred to another school, and to another course, with lesser tuition fees. But I was determined to finish Nursing, so I decided to work at the same time while studying. Being a working student was really tough, especially if your course was Nursing. I had to wake up very early for my hospital internships, go to work after that, and attend the afternoon-till-evening classes in school. I never had summer vacations, as I had to continue studying even during school breaks in order to graduate in time.

And to graduate in time, I did. I passed the board exams the same year and got my RN license. I also took the exams needed to be able to get to the US (CGFNS, NCLEX, and IELTS), and passed them.  Why I am still not in the US is another story. I’ll probably tell that in another post 🙂

It’s now 15 years since I graduated, and I have never regretted my choice many years ago. I fulfilled my goals. I am in a helping profession, and I was able to uplift my family’s economic status. I may not be in the US, but that was not really a major concern for me now. I had my ups and downs, bad days, and bad cases, but those times did not deter me from staying in this job.

Being a nurse allowed me to understand life better. I appreciate every single minute of my life, and the people around me. It is a great opportunity to be of help to those who are vulnerable, to those whose life is in danger, and to those who put their trust on my hands. Being at the bedside for so many years made me realize that each and every one of us are just alike. No matter how different we are – rich or poor, good-looking or not-so-good-looking, black or white, educated or illiterate – we can all get sick. We have the same human anatomies after all. And we need each other to survive.

I am writing this because I needed this self-awareness. Many times, it gets really stressful and tiring at work. There are so many challenges and the work gets demanding everyday. But sometimes, a little reminder of why we are here on the first place is enough encouragement and reassurance. I hope other nurses who feels that work is just becoming too much, are reminded of this privilege – of being used by God to heal and help patients.

I got an award!

Wow, I received an award! It’s called the “Versatile Blogger Award” given by Linda of Shoes for an Imaginary Life. Please check out her site for some very interesting and reflective posts. Her site is one of my recent favorites.

Thanks, Linda! I humbly accept this award.

These are the rules to follow when receiving this award:

1.  Thank the person who awarded you and link back to them in your post.

2.  Tell 7 random facts about yourself.

… and here are my facts:

1) I am married with one son.

2) I met my wife when we were 10 years old in grade school.

3) I manage another site dedicated for my son, and it’s called Iñigo Boy. I post there EVERYDAY. I might ran out of time to post, but I never ran out of ideas for posting. It’s my way of saving his precious childhood memories. It also gets his grannies and relatives back home updated about him.

4) I am a surgical nurse by profession. My job is most of the time tiring and demanding but I love what I do.

5)  We live in a small, but very beautiful city of Al Ain. Our place is always clean. There are so many trees around, and flowers are everywhere.

6)  I love toys, even as an adult. And so my little boy benefit a lot from that.

7)  I love to sing. And that is, even if the song hates me.

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3.  After you name 7 things, pass the award on to 15 new-found bloggers.

This part I could not follow because I am only following a few blogs recently,  due to the demands of my offline life. So here are they:

Aileen of From the Desk of Aidisan

Kate of Recommended Daily Post

Annelisa of Words That Flow

Andre of Quiet Mumblings

4.  Contact each person you want to pass the award on to, let them know you’ve done so, and let the giver of your award know you accept it.

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Thanks again, Linda!

Have a lovely week everyone!

Follow Me Back Tuesday (March 15)

Ei guys, I found this really cool blog-hopping scheme called “Follow Me Back Tuesday” and I found it really interesting. It is a great way of finding new blogger friends.

If you wish to join, you just need to follow the sponsors (1-5), and post an FMBT post on your site (just like what I am doing now). You need to log in HERE to enter your name in the list. Cool, eh?

Let the blog-hopping begin!

Weekly Photo Challenge: HOME

This week’s WordPress photo challenge theme is HOME.

This theme so far is my favorite knowing I have so many pics I can choose for the topic. Thanks WordPress for making me part of this challenge, knowing I am not a professional photographer.

These pics were taken last Christmas.

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Home is not where you live, but where they understand you.

A house is made of walls and beams. A home is built with love and dreams.

Prayers for Japan

People watch the aftermath of tsunami tidal waves covering a port at Kesennuma in Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, after strong earthquakes hit the area Friday, March 11, 2011. (Keichi Nakane / The Yomiuri Shimbun) ctv.ca

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 8.9 hit Japan just a couple of hours ago. The quake unleashed a massive tsunami  that hit Sendai City in Northeastern Miyagi. According to the news 40 are confirmed dead and thousands injured, but I guess this figure will still rise, as I look on tv at how this catastrophe destroyed this part of Japan.

I just came back from a family trip to Dubai when this report surprised us on tv. My wife worked for a couple of years in Japan, and she has lots of friends there. And so it’s quite disturbing to think of how people are suffering there at this moment.

Watching the live news from the Filipino Channel, I saw how dark-colored flood was spreading through the streets, swiping away cars, trucks and houses. That was a video footage by a helicopter, done by the local Japanese tv networks.

Just recently, a strong earthquake also hit New Zealand, leaving many dead and many homeless. I come to think how easy it is for nature to destroy us, how easy life can be.

Nobody knows our fate except the One above. He is the most powerful and only Him decides who goes and who stays. That decision is never in our hands.

As I close this post, allow me to leave a short prayer for the people in Japan.

A PRAYER FOR STRENGTH

O Lord, in this time of need, strengthen us. You are our strength and our shield, a very present help in trouble. I know Father, that Your eyes go to and fro throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts long for You. The body grows weary, but our hope is in You to renew our strength.

We do not fear for You are with us. We are not dismayed or overwhelmed, for You are our God. We know You will stregnthen us and help us; that You will uphold us with Your righteous hand. Even as the shadows of disasters cover us, we feel the comfort of Your strength, O Lord.

Amen.

(adapted from baptistonline.org)

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A tsunami warning was issued for all neighboring countries, including the Philippines. My prayers goes to everyone around that might be affected. I pray to God that this tsunamis subside and disappear in the waters, before it hit the grounds. Please join me in my prayers. I know God will listen.

The Mirror

geeoklogie.com

 The good you find in others, is in you too. 

The faults you find in others, are your faults as well. 

After all, to recognize something you must know it. 

The possibilities you see in others, are possible for you as well. 

The beauty you see around you, is your beauty.

The world around you is a reflection, a mirror showing you the person you are.

To change your world, you must change yourself.

To blame and complain will only make matters worse.

Whatever you care about, is your responsibility.

What you see in others, shows you yourself.

See the best in others,and you will be your best.

Give to others, and you give to yourself.

Appreciate beauty, and you will be beautiful.

Admire creativity, and you will be creative.

Love, and you will be loved.

Seek to understand, and you will be understood.

Listen, and your voice will be heard.Teach, and you will learn.

Show your best face to the mirror, and you’ll be happy with the face looking back at you.

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repost from FB notes by Abraham Despojo

The Rules for Being HUMAN

Is there such thing as “rules for being a human?” We are just born, and whether we like it or not, we grow up as a human – and we choose to be either a good or a bad human being.

I know everybody hates rules. Everybody just wants to be free to do their own thing. Ei, but this set of rules is different. It is something to ponder about. And it is up to you to decide.

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The Rules for Being HUMAN

1. You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.

2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a fulltime informal school called life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.

3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error, experimentation. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately “works.”

4. A lesson is repeated until learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.

5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive there are lessons to be learned.

6. “There” is no better than “here.” When your “there” has become a “here” you will simply obtain another “there” that will again look better than “here.”

7. Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.

8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. Your answers lie inside you. The answer to life’s questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

10. This will often be forgotten, only to be remembered again.
(Cherie Carter-Scott)

She without arm, He without leg

As a nurse, it saddens me when I get disabled patients, and their feelings about their disability is full of negativity. It is pretty understable though, and it is my job to fully understand why they feel this way.

On the other hand, it always inspires us when we see disabled people excel in certain fields. Isn’t it amazing to see a person overcome their disabilities and become an inspiration to many? We realize that the less privileged and the lesser-limbed individuals do well in their lives, while for the rest of us who are complete with four limbs, still have so many things to complain.

Simply amazing.