THE SON

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
He said, 'Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art.' The young man held out the package. 'I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.'
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. 'Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift.'
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected. The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings.

Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. 'We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?' There was silence...Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, 'We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one.'
But the auctioneer persisted. 'Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?' Another voice rose angrily. 'We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids!'
But still the auctioneer continued. 'The son! The son! Who'll take the son?'
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. 'I'll give $10 for the painting...' Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
'We have $10, who will bid $20?'
'Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters.'
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. 'Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!'
A man sitting on the second row shouted, 'Now let's get on with the collection!' The auctioneer laid down his gavel. 'I'm sorry, the auction is over.'
'What about the paintings?'
'I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.

The man who took the son gets everything!'

FAMOUS ART

I've always considered myself as an art aficionado. Ever since I can remember, I've been fascinated by works of art, especially art by the Old Masters. I'm especially fond of Impressionism, and my favorite is Claude Monet. One of the things I want to do before I die is to see some of these original works of art up close and personal, so that means I'll be scouring the museums all over the world for that. I don't mind. after all, I do have that adventurous streak in me. I picked out some of the most famous art I admire and made a slideshow, aptly set to the "Mona Lisa Smile Suite" by Rachel Portman.. Following is the list of those included in the slideshow according to order of showing, with the art title, artist, and art movement. Enjoy!

1) A Beautiful World – Grandma Moses – American folk art
2) A Girl With A Watering Can – Renoir - impressionism
3) Adam and Eve – Gustav Klimt – art nouveau
4) American Gothic – Grant Wood – American folk art
5) Amoureux au Bouquet – Marc Chagall - expressionism
6) A Pair of Shoes – Vincent Van Gogh – impressionism
7) Arundel Mill and Castle – John Constable - Romanticism
8) Ashes – Edvard Munch - expressionism
9) At The Moulin Rouge – Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec – post-impressionism
10) Boating – Edouard Manet - impressionism
11) Bathers at Asnieres – Georges Seurat – pointillism
12) Beata Beatrix – Dante Gabriel Rossetti – Pre-Raphaelite
13) Blind Man’s Bluff – Francisco de Goya – Spanish rococo
14) Bride With A Fan – Marc Chagall - expressionism
15) By The Seashore - Pierre Auguste Renoir - impressionism
16) Cowper Madonna - Raphael – renaissance
17) Creation of Adam (section of Sistine Chapel) – Michelangelo Buonarrotti - renaissance
18) Daniel In The Lion’s Den – Peter Paul Rubens – baroque
19) Dejeuner Sur La Herbe – Edward Manet - impressionism
20) Flagellation of Christ – Caravaggio - baroque
21) Girl Asleep At A Table – Pablo Picasso – cubism
22) Girl With A Pearl Earring – Jan Vermeer – baroque
23) Head of A Nymph – Sophie Gengembre Anderson – Pre-Raphaelite
24) Holy Family - Michelangelo Buonarroti – renaissance
25) Impression: Sunrise – Claude Monet – impressionism
26) In The Green Mountains – Grandma Moses – American folk art
27) Irises – Vincent Van Gogh - impressionism
28) Landscape at Beaulieu – Pierre Auguste Renoir - impressionism
29) L’Etoile Pastel – Edgar Degas – impressionism
30) Madonna and Child with Angels – Fra Filippo Lippi - renaissance
31) Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci – renaissance
32) Night Fishing at Antibes – Pablo Picasso – cubism
33) On The Terrace – Pierre Auguste Renoir - impresionism
34) Pieta – Michelangelo Buonarrotti – sculpture
35) Portrait of Jeanne Hebuterne – Amedeo Modigliani – expressionism
36) Portrait of Picasso – Juan Gris - cubism
37) River Landscape – Thomas Gainborough - rococo
38) Starry Night – Vincent Van Gogh – post-impressionism
39) Still Life With A Basket – Paul Cezanne – post-impressionism
40) Stour Valley and Dedham Church – John Constable - Romanticism
41) Study of A Nude – Paul Gauguin – post-impressionism
42) Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte – Georges Seurat - pointillism
43) Sunflowers – Vincent Van Gogh - impressionism
44) The Art of Painting – Jan Vermeer - baroque
45) The Birth of Venus – Sandro Botticelli – renaissance
46) The Cornfield – John Constable - Romanticism
47) The Entombment – Peter Paul Rubens – baroque
48) The Flame – Jackson Pollock – abstract expressionism
49) The Joy of Life (Le Bonheur de Vivre) – Henri Matisse – fauvism
50) The Kiss – Gustav Klimt – art nouveau
51) The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci – renaissance
52) The Little Valley – Paul Gauguin – Post-impressionism
53) The Marriage at Cana – Veronese - renaissance
54) The Milkmaid – Jan Vermeer – baroque
55) The Moon-Woman – Jackson Pollock – action painting
56) The Music Lesson – Jan Vermeer - baroque
57) The Night Watch - Rembrandt – baroque
58) The Persistence of Memory – Salvador Dali – surrealism
59) The River at Argenteuil – Edouard Manet - impressionism
60) The Scream - Edvard Munch – expressionism
61) The Stay at Homes – Norman Rockwell – American folk art
62) The Three Ages – Salvador Dali - surrealism
63) The Thinker - Auguste Rodin – sculpture
64) Venus of Urbino – Titian - renaissance
65) Village Path – Camille Pisarro - impressionism
66) Waterlilies - Claude Monet – impressionism
67) Waterlilies (the clouds) – Claude Monet - impressionism
68) Whistler's Mother - James Abbott McNeill Whistler – impressionism
69) Woman Before An Aquarium – Henri Matisse - fauvism
70) Woman with a Parasol (The Stroll, Camille Monet and her son Jean) – Claude Monet – impressionism
71) Young Girl Fixing Her Hair – Sophie Gengembre Anderson – Pre-Raphaelite

MY TWILIGHT EXPERIENCE

My sis and I were shopping for Christmas decors when we decided on the spur of the moment to watch “Twilight”. It was Friday, late afternoon, school was out -- bad call – clearly the demographic was high school and college students. The line wasn’t that long, but the movie house was nearly full. We took our seats and sat back to enjoy the movie. Fat chance…when the Cullens started to appear, the screaming started. As it turned out, seated right behind us was a whole row of high school students. And when Edward appeared, the dialogue was drowned out by the hyperventilating shrieks of the same demographic. Sheesh! A number of us were irritated, especially since they started to anticipate and pre-empt every scene after that with their intimate knowledge of the story. No amount of hushing quelled their excitement. When the scene came for Edward’s first “Hello”, the squealing drowned out the dialogue! Angry moviegoers finally yelled at them, including my very audible “OVER!” Well, that did the trick coz they behaved after that. Remind me never to watch a much hyped movie in its first few days of screening. I’d much rather watch it during its last few days of run when you have an almost empty theater and you can blissfully enjoy the movie without the noise, the jostling, and the passing-in-front-of-you-to-get-to-the-next-seat.

Okay, let’s face it; no movie version could ever hope to surpass the book. That’s proven in the case of the Harry Potter series, The DaVinci Code, the Bourne series, and a lot more. Even the biggest Hollywood budget and the most high-tech special effects could never hope to match the imagination of those who have read the books. The best they could do is to stay true to the story and make the movie as close to the imagination as it possibly could.

Fortunately “Twilight” is one such movie, true to its source material. Even the choice of the actors to play the key roles did not disappoint the book’s followers. Although I still don’t get all the hype about this movie. I mean, the premise of a “good” vampire falling in love with a mortal has been rehashed to death. In fact this angst-filled romance reminded me of TV’s Buffy and Angel (remember them?), except that Buffy is a kick-ass slayer while Bella is the classic damsel in distress. Even the excruciatingly slow-to-happen first kiss reminded me of the long drawn-out first kiss of Joey and Dawson in Dawson’s Creek. But somehow author Stephenie Meyer seemed to have achieved the right balance of suspense and romance to titillate the imagination of her target audience, the young adults of this generation. Furthermore, she has completely reinvented the vampire image and veered away from the frequent depictions of a vampire. Like, being able to move in daylight as long as they avoid direct sunlight; we all know vampires burn when sunlight hits them, but in Twilight world, their skin glow like diamonds, a beautiful apparition. They don’t eat, they don’t drink, they don’t sleep (what? no coffins?), they don’t shun away from garlic or crosses. All this reinvention made Edward even more irresistible, and made the YA crowd root for Edward to finally turn Bella.

The movie not only captivated the hearts of its target audience, but also those not in the demographic. As usual critics are divided on this one, but I really don’t care much for what the critics say. I go to the movies to be entertained. And I WAS entertained, even tickled by the “cute” love story. If it’s entertainment you’re looking for, then this is the movie to watch. Just another one of those big Hollywood movies with sequels you’d have to wait over a year for. Yeah, bummer, huh? =)

SPEECHES

Over the years I've been asked, requested, tasked, ordered to speak at special events in schools, gatherings, work. I hate public speaking! I'm not that good with crowds. But sometimes you just gotta do what you have to do. And of course, I had to write my own speech! I have no problem with that, I'd rather write than speak. Still, it's a reality I just have to contend with -- that as I go along, there'll be speeches to write and well, deliver...

The following was the speech I delivered during our Nursing post-graduation ring-hop ceremony which I wrote in the wee hours of the morning, just hours before the event. Yeah, I know, last-minute chores and multi-tasking is a nurse's specialty...

We stand here today at this junction in our lives as proud finished products of four years of hard work, patience, and dogged perseverance. Like malleable metal forged through time, we were molded and polished into what we are today.

Our four-year stay in the Nursing program can never be described as one that was easy. We gave should I say more than our share of hardships and difficulties. Sleepless nights, countless requirements, mind-wrecking examinations and not to mention the dreaded pink slips…all these have helped in making us more competent, disciplined and much more prepared for the professional path ahead of us.

It wasn’t however all pain. As with life, our experience in the program is bittersweet. Undeniably, we have had happy and happier days. The friendships we have formed, the skills we have mastered and that we never thought we could do, and the compassion we have nurtured within us, are some of the things that have kept us going. Most importantly, we could never have made it without the untiring guidance and support that our administrators, faculty and family have unfailingly given us throughout the years. It is with this that I, on behalf of the pioneering batch of the College of Nursing, extend this gratitude to all these people.

To the administrators of the College of Nursing, headed by our beloved dean, Dr. Patria V. Manalaysay, we thank you for your unwavering support and belief in us, and your determination to make the Ateneo de Davao University College of Nursing at par with or even the best of them all. It is with fervent hope and prayer that we will do you proud.

To our Clinical Instructors, I have this to say: through the years we have seen clinical instructors come and go. Some of them old, some of them young, some big and some small, some cute and some not-so-cute, some very, very kind and some never-mind. It cannot be denied that perhaps a lot of you are more hypertensive now than when you first started, or that a few of us have caused your hair to turn white. But then again, the same can be said for us, for some of you also caused our blood to boil especially when it comes to grades and pink slips. But we’re past all that now! Look at where we are right this moment… we survived. Our dear clinical instructors, you have become more than what your job descriptions called for, we thank you for being more than just our teachers, you have become our second parents, mentors, friends, counselors, and allies all the way. From all of us, thank you.

And of course, to our families who have taught us what unconditional love is all about and how it sustained us all these years, through all the out-of-town duties, overnight stay for case presentations, long hours spent away from home, and the financial burden --- for putting up with all these, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. No words can ever describe our heartfelt gratitude for all of you.

At this point I would like to share these words from Albert Einstein: “A hundred times a day, I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellowmen, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received and am still receiving.”

Ladies and gentlemen, everything that we have become, and everything that we will be we offer it all to The Man Upstairs and to all of you. Thank you very much.

ON SOUL MATES AND TWIN FLAMES

What is a twin flame you may ask? The term most often has been confused with that of soul mates but the two are distinctly different. The greatest love story ever told is the one you have with your very own beloved twin flame. In the beginning we were created in God (Alpha and Omega) in an ovoid white-fire-spirit-light, the soul was split just like the atom (Adam Kadman) into two identical parts (twin flames) each with the same identical soul blueprint. The tai-chi is a symbol of twin flames. Twin flames in love spiraling in infinity.
We then went forth from the Etheric realm (heaven) of God's perfect light into denser levels of consciousness (the physical). The actual saga of Adam and Eve is about twin flames, for we all have our own Adam and Eve story. Somewhere in cosmos, each one of us has our very own divine other, who carries either the feminine or masculine polarity. This soul memory of the twin flame is so powerful, that we can feel very alone in this world, as we search for that promise of that original perfect love, the twin. No other love can compare to your own twin flame. Some people in very difficult relationships choose to suffer in agonizing pain, just to be with their twin flame. The movies Somewhere in Time, The English Patient and Moulin Rouge are modern day examples of twin flame love. Twin flames throughout history and literature are often tragic love relationships. The forces of anti-love work day and night to sabotage twin flames and keep them apart.

Twin Flames are ourselves in another body. When Souls chose to enter into physicality, they were split into masculine and feminine aspects. Please note, not male and female, because throughout our incarnations, we will be in both genders of bodies. When we first leave the Light to enter into physicality, we will connect with our Twin Flame. This is done so we will not feel so totally alone in the human experience. After this we go our separate ways and grow lifetime after lifetime in experience and wisdom until we are ready to break free of the bonds of physicality and mortality. When we have reached this stage we have the opportunity to reconnect with our “other half” or Twin Flame. The chances are that we meet our Twin Flame briefly in many lifetimes, but one or both of us are not ready for the intensity of this connection. When both halves of the whole are ready to come back together and meet they will discover that in that lifetime they have lead almost parallel lives. The events of their lives will mirror each other almost exactly. They may have come from very similar families and family dynamics. They may have had similar schooling or lack thereof. They may have almost identical careers. They may even have previous marriages and divorces within weeks of each other. When Twin Flames get to know each other, they will feel as if the other is reading their life script.

So now, what is a Soul Mate? A soul mate is different from a twin flame. Soul mates share a common mission and comparable stage of spiritual development. They come together because they are working on the same type of karma and the same chakra simultaneously. So soul mates have an attraction that is based on the sacred labor and on the path of self-mastery. A soul mate is like the echo of oneself in Matter working at the same task to fulfill a blueprint for God.
Soul mates experience a calmer, more stable connection on the lines of a brother and a sister type rapport. The very best marriages are often found to be between soul mates; they work very harmoniously together in business, raising children, and contributing to the community.

Soul Mates are those beings that we have had connections with in past lives. They may have been our parents, siblings, spouses, friends, etc. and they have agreed to come back to join us again. The reason for this rejoining is so that we can each achieve balance in our lives. Our Soul Mates represent our spiritual family. By connecting with them we are reminded of the resonance of our Soul and also they help us to wake up and remember our purpose. Most of the time when we think of Soul Mates we are thinking of love relationships, but we can have Soul Mates that join us for business partnerships, healing relationships, and yes, love relationships. Any relationship we can have is open to the arena of Soul Mates. They may be a teacher or minister or counselor who comes into our life and touches it deeply. Soul Mates are truly our friends from many lifetimes who come to play again with on this Earth. Often they come into our lives for a specific time or event. They may even come into a love relationship to assist us in a specific learning and then move on. Whatever the purpose of being in each others lives, it is a beautiful experience. When you connect with your Soul Mate in a love relationship, you have, in effect, found your perfect mate for where you are in your development as a Soul.

Over many lifetimes soul mate relationships prepare us for lasting twin reunion. They are a very important part of the process and should be blessed as such. Most often, soul mate unions will last longer and be more rewarding than the electrifying, but often stormy, twin pairings. Twin soulship is a very highly charged partnership and the two must be spiritually ready for it to last. When they are, their union will transcend all others.

DESTROYING FRIENDSHIP

Just when you thought you know someone well, his true colors show and the friend you thought you have turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, a two-faced snake...

You accepted somebody for what he is, with all his shortcomings and weaknesses, into your fold. He gained your trust, shared secrets; you helped him through his difficult times...only to have that somebody slowly undermine the friendship you painstakingly built over the years, with his arrogant act of self-gratification just because he needed something to distract him from his pathetic life. Too lazy to even look beyond the group and instead turned on the persons who considered him a friend.

Like a disease, he slowly festers and eats away at the very foundation of your friendship; he charms, jokes, and laughs his way as he alienates the friends from each other, and takes advantage of somebody's emotional vulnerability and inexperience.

What used to be an open, cheery, fun group now harbors distrust, dishonesty, secrecy, pretensions, and his favorite -- selfishness. He seems to be enjoying the discord, after all, as long as HIS needs are met, to hell with others, right? He must be grinning smugly, now that he got what he wanted.

You wish you could take back all the time and effort you invested on that person. What a waste, he does not deserve any of it. His singular act of egotism effectively destroyed friendship...

HOTTIES

Here's a personal slideshow of some of the hottest and yummiest male celebs I find in TV and movies. Fittingly set to Alana Davis' "32 Flavors". I made this a litttle while now, and I haven't gotten around to my newer batch yet. Anyways, thirty-two flavors indeed, and then some! Delish! Enjoy!

LIFE IN THE 1500s

I learned something about our language history...

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:
These are interesting...

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, “Don't throw the baby out with the bath water...”

Houses had thatched roofs -- thick straw piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying “It's raining cats and dogs.”

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, “dirt poor.” The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a “thresh hold.”
(Getting quite an education, aren't you?) =)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old..”

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could “bring home the bacon.” They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat...

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the “upper crust.”

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, “saved by the bell” or was considered a ...dead ringer..

And that's the truth...Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

TO FILIPINO STUDENT NURSES

The following is a speech I wrote while in my student nurse days as a requirement for Leadership and Management. The idea still applies today…

When Florence Nightingale walked the battlefields at night during the Crimean war, searching for the wounded, she had only that all-too-familiar lamp for light. Clara Barton did the same during the American Civil War. These two notable women of history are only among the many remarkable figures in the history of Nursing.
Hard as it may be to believe, but back then, they did it out of the goodness of their hearts and with the purest of intentions. There was no financial compensation to consider, certainly, there were no promises of honor or prestige. Back then, Nursing was a vocation, a calling, a life meant only for those truly committed to serving humanity.
Nursing has come a long way. It has today become a prominent profession, the most in-demand healthcare resource ever. But let us go back to Nightingale and Barton for a while. Let me ask you now, if you were in their shoes, would you do it too? If you were, let’s say, in the middle of a war, would you do the same, knowing full well you would be risking your life, and without compensation to boot? If somebody says yes right now, then I would say, prove it ma’am or sir, and I would personally shower you with medals, trophies, rewards and accolades.
Because let’s face it, let us not be pretentious this moment. Ninety-nine percent (99%) of the student population is here because of only one thing: DOLLARS. Frankly, I myself am guilty of that. Yet, I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again, something happened along the way. Do you remember that very first time you pulled a bloody, slimy baby out of the womb, or the very first time you saw a body being sliced open, exposing all those inner stuff in all its glory? How about the very first time you fed a “barangay-ful” of hungry children in your community, or the very first time you heard “thank you” from a patient you cared for. How did it feel? You belonged. We belong. We feel proud to belong to that special breed of people who gets to see, feel, smell, hear, and sometimes even taste all of that. We are in a special kind of profession.
Nursing is all about commitment. If you can’t handle it, then you better get out before you waste any more time and money. But the truth is, a lot of the students are hanging on because of the sheer motivating force of money. A lot of us are still here because of the promise of a bright future somewhere out there. Be that as it may, because it is something we cannot do anything about, the saving grace is that we all came in with that thought in mind, but after four years, we come out as transformed persons, with just a little bit of something changed inside that may or may not make the difference between nursing for the pocket and nursing from the heart.
Filipina nurses used to be well-known for being hard-working and the best in the business. Sad to say, lately, there are reports of Filipina nurses deported because of incompetence. This is what happens when quality is sacrificed just to meet quantity. Just to remind you, our closest competitors are the nurses from India – and they are giving us a run for the money indeed.
Alarming? This is something you, as future nurse leaders must do something about. Let us go back to the basics. Go back to why there is Nursing in the first place. Go back to Nursing 100 and recite again: “the domain of nursing is CARING”.
In all our hospital exposure, where the shortage of nurses is greatly felt because of the volume of everyday clients, we see so many nurses who oftentimes are short-tempered, indifferent, and insensitive to the patients’ needs mostly because of their concern to finish their paperwork on time. This defeats the very essence of nursing, when caring becomes impersonal, indifferent, insensitive, and devoid of any warmth. Please, do not be like that.
I know some students who make fun of the nurses’ attitude in the hospital. Don’t laugh. Do something about it! Promise yourselves you will not become like that.
This is where you future nurse leaders come in. You task is laid out for you. Take this as a challenge. Nursing is all about caring. Bring back the heart and soul of nursing. For this, you future leaders should nurture within you the same fire that fueled Nightingale herself. If nurturing a raging fire in you seems too much to ask, then even just a little spark will do for a start, perhaps just enough to light a lamp?
For all the nurses and student nurses present here today, why not try a little something when you go home? Find a mirror, look at yourself in the mirror and say to yourself with all conviction: that YOU exemplify quality nursing care. Then go ahead and LIVE IT!

WITTICISMS

From "Greys Anatomy":

"Being a surgeon is easy, just remember to cut, close and suture. But sometimes you'll encounter a cut that is difficult to heal. Just like love, you can always cut, but closure and suturing don't always follow, thus causing continuous bleeding."- Dr. Derek Shepherd

"The greatest disease in the world isn't medical. It's being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases but the only cure for despair is love. There are those who are dying for a piece of bread, but many more are dying for a piece of love. So share it everyday."

"Communication is the first thing we really learn in life. Funny thing is, once we grow up, learn our words, and really start talking, the harder it becomes to know what to say, or how to ask for what we really need."- Dr. Meredith Grey

"At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody. So this thing where we all keep our distance and pretend not to care about each other, it's usually a load of bull. So we pick and choose who we want to remain close to, and once we've chosen those people, we tend to stick close by. No matter how much we hurt them. The people that are still with you at the end of the day, those are the ones worth keeping. And sure, sometimes close can be too close. But sometimes, that invasion of personal space, it can be exactly what you need."- Dr. Meredith Grey

"As surgeons, we are trained to look for disease. Sometimes the problem is easily detected, most of the time we need to go step by step. First, probing the surface looking for any sign of trouble. Most of the time, we can't tell what's wrong with somebody by just looking at them. After all, they can look perfectly fine on the outside, while their insides tell a whole other story."- Dr. Meredith Grey

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to LISTEN. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we give each other is our attention. A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words.

Men are like books. Some tell tales of romance, some have deceiving covers, some with shallow content, some obsolete yet reliable. Many claim to be "new editions" only to show they tell the same old stories. Books are to be opened and read to appreciate their worth. If they fail to meet your expectations, leave them. After all, it's the reader's prerogative. Books don't choose you, you choose your books and after the long research in the library, at the end of the day, you get to choose only one, the one you're going to spend a long time reading and appreciating.

"Words of wisdom from Ally McBeal: " If you wanna end up with the right one, you've gotta make it happen. The best ones are always taken. If you don't steal them, you won't have them!"

"Why should I bring happiness to those I loathe by obliterating myself, when I can make them miserable just by existing?"- Jessica Zafra

THE CAB DRIVER

Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. When I arrived at 2:30 AM, the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away.

But, I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.

So I walked to the door and knocked. "Just a minute", answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suit case. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets and there were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. “It’s nothing’, I told her. “I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated”.

"Oh, you're such a good boy", she said.

When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice".

I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw that her eyes were glistening.

"I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long."

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I’m tired. Let's go now."

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.

"Nothing," I said.

"You have to make a living," she answered.

"There are other passengers," I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

"You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."

I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk.

What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unawares - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance. Every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special. Every day, every minute, every breath truly is a gift from God.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

ON FRIENDSHIP

One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd."

I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.

My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye.

As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now.

I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.

Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our Class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation.

I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous.

Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home.

He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."

I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment.
I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize its depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person’s life. For better or for worse, God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.

"Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly"

THE ANT AND THE CONTACT LENS

THE ANT AND THE CONTACT LENS
A true story by Josh and Karen Zarandona

Brenda was a young woman who was invited to go rock climbing. Although she was very scared, she went with her group to a tremendous granite cliff. In spite of her fear, she put on the gear, took hold of the rope, and started up the face of that rock.

Well, she got to a ledge where she could take a breather. As she was hanging on there, the safety rope snapped against Brenda's eye and knocked out her contact lens.

Well, there she was, on a rock ledge, with hundreds of feet below her and hundreds of feet above her. Of course, she looked and looked and looked, hoping it had landed on the ledge, but it just wasn't there.

Here she was, far from home, her sight now blurry. She was desperate and began to get upset, so she prayed to the Lord to help her to find it.

When she got to the top, a friend examined her eye and her clothing for the lens, but there was no contact lens to be found. She sat down, despondent, with the rest of the party, waiting for the rest of them to make it up the face of the cliff.

She looked out across range after range of mountains, thinking of that verse that says, "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth." She thought, "Lord, You can see all these mountains. You know every stone and leaf, and You know exactly where my contact lens is. Please help me."

Finally, they walked down the trail to the bottom. At the bottom there was a new party of climbers just starting up the face of the cliff. One of them shouted out, "Hey, you guys! Anybody lose a contact lens?"

Well, that would be startling enough, but you know why the climber saw it? An ant was moving slowly across the face of the rock, carrying it on its back.

Brenda told me that her father is a cartoonist. When she told him the incredible story of the ant, the prayer, and the contact lens, he drew a picture of an ant lugging that contact lens with the words, "Lord, I don't know why You want me to carry this thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy. But if this is what You want me to do, I'll carry it for You."

I think it would probably do some of us good to occasionally say, "God, I don't know why you want me to carry this load. I can see no good in it and it's awfully heavy. But, if you want me to carry it, I will."

LOVE AND COMMITMENT

The word "love" is far different from "commitment". Love is a gift that anyone can have, but commitment is a sacrifice for love that not everyone is capable of.

It’s just so sad that the word "commitment" comes with duties and responsibilities which make it heavy, which make some people reluctant and scared. They may be ready for love, but not for commitment. But come to think of it, isn’t love enough to keep a commitment?

WHY WOMEN CRY

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said: "When I made the woman she had to be special. I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world, yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."

TO MY CHILD

Just for this morning, I'm going to smile when I see your face, and laugh when I feel like crying.
Just for this morning, I will let you choose what you want to wear, and smile and say how perfect it is.
Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.
Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.
Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.
Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck, and I will buy you one if he comes by.
Just for this afternoon, I won’t worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second-guess every decision I have made.
Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won’t stand over you trying to fix them.
Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald’s and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.
Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.
Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.
Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.
Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows. Just for this evening, when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.
I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children’s graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can’t handle it anymore.
And when I kiss you goodnight, I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank the Law for you, and ask for nothing except one more day…

I LOVE HEROES!

I LOVE HEROES! My kids and I just can't stop raving about the TV series Heroes. We sat together through a marathon of the Season 1 episodes and we were all cheering, screaming, laughing, and groaning through the action-packed sequences. It's like XMen meets Mutant X meets Justice League, minus the spandex, hehe! We all can't wait for the next season!

Of course, we all have our favorite heroes. My kids love Hiro coz he's so huggably cute as he provides the comic relief to the show; but we all agreed the most awesome is Peter Petrelli (played by dashing Milo Ventimiglia), (for me, because he's a hottie male nurse, hehe!) and because his power is: he gets to absorb the powers of all those he comes in contact with. How cool is that? Sylar (played by the handsome Zachary Quinto) is also a very powerful villain, almost like Peter's counterpart. But he gets his other powers only if he eats the brains of the people with “special abilities”!

The show starts with these ordinary people discovering they have extraordinary abilities, so what will they do about it? This show celebrates those comic book superheroes we are all so familiar with, and the premise is nothing new, what with the popularity of XMen and “mutations” and “evolutions” both in comic books and video games. But somehow creator Tim Kring managed to infuse the show with freshness and innovative storyline that just keeps the viewers craving for more. Let's face it, the idea of superheroes may be old, exploited, and rehashed to death, but admit it, it still gets us. I mean, who hasn't, at one time or another in his/her lifetime, fantasized about having super powers and secret identities, right? I know I have. And I'm certain the “inner child” inside all of us would agree. And with today's science, who knows? It's the next step in our evolution. You don't really think life has stopped evolving with us, do you? Hey, it could happen. =)

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

I got this from an email a friend sent me. Nobody knows who the origInal author is, but apparently, this has been making the rounds in emails, bulletins, blogposts, etc. I really like the thought, so I’m sharing this here.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

In your life, you’ll make note of a lot of people. Ones with whom you shared something special, ones who will always mean something.

There’s the one you first kissed, the one you first loved, the one you lost your virginity to, the one you put on the pedestal, the one you’re with…and the one that got away.

Who is the one that got away?

I guess it’s that person with whom everything was great, everything was perfect, but the timing was just wrong. There was no fault in the person, no flaw in the chemistry, but the cards just didn’t fall the right way.

I believe in the fact that ending up with someone, finding a longtime partner that is, does not lie merely in the other person. I can actually argue that an equal part, or maybe even the greater part, has to do with you being ready to settle down and commit to someone in a way that goes beyond the little niceties of giddy romance.

When you’re not ready to commit in that mature manner, it doesn’t matter who you’re with, it just doesn’t work. Small problems become big; inconsequentials become deal breakers simply because you’re not ready and it shows. It’s not that you and the person you’re with are no good; it’s just that it’s not right, and little things become the flashpoint of that fact.

Then one day you’re ready. You really are.

And when this happens you’ll be ready to settle down with someone. He or she may not be the most perfect, they might not be the brightest star of romance to ever have burned in your life, but it’ll work because you’re ready. It’ll work because it’s the right time and you’ll make it work.

And it’ll make sense, it really will.

So that day comes when you’re finally making sense of things, and you find yourself to be a different person. Things are different, your approach is different, you finally understand who you are and what you want, and the time has truly arrived. And mind you, there’s no telling when this day will come. Hopefully you’re single but you could be in a long-term relationship, or married with three kids, it doesn’t matter.

All you know is that you’ve changed, and for some reason, the one that got away, is the first person you think about.

You’ll think about them because you’ll wonder, "What if they were here today?" You’ll wonder, "What if we were together now, with me as I am and not as I was?"

That’s what the one that got away is.

The biggest "What If?" you’ll have in your life.

If you’re married, you’ll just have to accept the fact that the one that got away, got away. Believe me, no matter how fairy tale you think your marriage is, this can happen to the best of us.

But hopefully you’re mature enough to realize that you’re already with the one you’re with and this is just another test of your commitment, one that will strengthen your marriage when you get past it. Sure, you’ll think about him/her every so often, but it’s all right.

It’s never nice to live with "might have been," but it happens.

Maybe the one that got away is the one who’s married. In which case it’s the same thing. You just have to accept and know that your memories of that person will probably bring a nice little smile to your lips in the future when you’re old and gray and reminiscing.

But if neither of that is the case, what do you do if it’s not yet too late?

Simple…find him, find her. ‘Coz, the very existence of a "one that got away" means that you’ll always wonder what if you got that one. Ask him out for coffee; ask her out to a movie.

You’d be surprised, you just might be "the one that got away" as well for the person who is your "the one that got away".

If the timing is finally right, it would be a great feeling, in the end, to be able to say to someone, "Hey you, you’re the one that almost got away".

CHANCE OR CHOICE?

When you meet the right person to love, at the right place, at the right time, that’s CHANCE.

When you meet someone you’re attracted to, that’s CHANCE, too.

Knowing that there are many people out there who are more attractive, smarter, richer, than your mate, and yet you decide to love your mate just the same, that’s a CHOICE.

Attraction comes to us by chance. But true love that lasts is truly a choice.

Listen: "Fate brings us together, but it’s still up to you to make it happen. We may meet someone by chance, but loving and staying with that someone is still a choice".

WHEN DOING THE RIGHT THING MEANS PAIN...

Doing the right thing…

Sometimes it means giving in
When you know that nothing else matters.

Sometimes it means needing to be quiet
When words can no longer deliver the message.

Sometimes it means going separate ways
When things have gotten unbearable and hopeless.

Sometimes it means turning away
When your presence will do more harm than good.

Sometimes it means giving up your dreams
When you no longer have time to dream.

Sometimes it means stop hoping
When there’s nothing else to hope for.

Sometimes it means giving up your reasons
When you know that they just don’t fit.

Sometimes it means masking your true feelings
When you know that you have to put up a face.

Sometimes it means keeping the love within your heart
When you know that it can only bring pain.

THE WINDOW

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats.
Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.
The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.
It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."
Epilogue:
"There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations"
"Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled"
"If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy"
"Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."