Flores de Mayo and other Popular Marian Devotions

     May is usually the month dedicated to Mother Mary. I learned this early in my childhood because of the Flores de Mayo organized in our parish, in the province. Together with my young relatives and friends in our neighborhood, I remember preparing for its daily activity early afternoon. We would scour the gardens within our street looking for flowers to offer Mama Mary to culminate each day’s Flores activity. We usually get red & white kalachuchi from lola Ester Palec’s place. Tiyay Nena Yoro’s garden has roses and orchids and Manang Amy Sereno has santan. They have other nice looking flowers, their names I couldn’t identify now. On some days, we can also gather cadena de amor by the road side. Often, we take pains of stringing these flowers into garlands or arranging those flowers using walis tingting on a cutting of young banana tree trunk. Then, off we go to the church where we are taught catechism, prayers and songs. The afternoon’s highlight is the offering of flowers to Mama Mary. The best garlands are placed on the outstretched hands of Our Lady while the beautiful arrangements are placed at her foot. Afterwards, snacks are served. Every day a sponsor feeds us – freshly baked bread, ice candy, etc. We also look forward to this treat as well as the games outside the church and the “attendance stubs”. We collect these stubs and make sure we try our best to have complete attendance because at the end of the month, after the town-wide procession, we get to claim our reward – a rosary, a stampita or some other religious object.

            

       

      A few decades have passed since my childhood and I have learned other ways of honoring Our Lady during the month of May. Those daily offerings of flowers are transformed into the recitation of the rosary and pilgrimages to churches and shrines in her honor. This year, I was able to visit three of her shrines – Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Baclaran, Our Lady of Candles in Jaro, Iloilo and Our Lady of Good Voyage in Antipolo. In each place, I am impressed by the piety and devotion of the people I see. For example, a pregnant woman with her husband paused to pray in front of her image in Baclaran. I and my friend are sure that they were asking Our Lady’s help for the baby who will be added to their family. I can’t help but be amused by a couple, who after saying their prayers silently, kissed in front of Our Lady and us who were also praying there. I can almost hear their prayer – please ask your Son to bless our relationship. There are also students praying for their exams and maybe people who are looking for work. I have observed several persons, that before praying, were knocking at the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and wiping it with their towels or handkerchief.  The first gesture is like calling her attention: “Dear Mama Mary, hear me”. The second one, I’m sure, is a gesture of love. Even if it’s just an image, wiping it is like touching her. I understand how they feel and I don’t think it’s superstition. I remember clinging on to a shirt given to me by a loved one. For some days, I wouldn’t want to wash it because that shirt was held on by my beloved. The Jaro pilgrimage was quite nostalgic. I said yes to my vocation on the feast of Our Lady of Candles and I remember going to her there, whenever I could not understand the matters of my heart. This time, I brought a friend who because of love, is incorporating Iloilo into her life. When I and another friend reached Antipolo, there were already several people queuing to kiss Our Lady's veil. We joined the line and had our chance to kiss her veil and recite a rosary in front of her image. That pilgrimage was filled with prayers of petition. So much to pray for, with so little time. But I’m sure Our Lady hears.

            “Remember of most gracious Virgin Mary that never was it known, that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided...”

Flying Voter

        

image from thebloggingjuan.blogspot.com

              It has been two weeks since I flew to Iloilo so that I can exercise my right of suffrage. I was too busy during the registration period last year that I was not able to transfer to a voting precinct nearby. Besides, I have four relatives and a friend running for local government positions and I would like to add one vote -- my vote -- to each of them. I also wanted to support my partylist and senatorial candidates. These points and my desire to visit my aging parents who have been living on their own, without any house help, I thought were good excuses to be a flying voter.

         Taking the bus to Passi is always relaxing. In this trip, I was on the lookout for the sunset. It didn’t show itself that long because of the clouds but I was still able to feast on its beautiful colors.  Since the province has vast farm lands, I also liked the smell of farm soil from rice paddies and the sweet scent of the sugarcane plantations. It indeed brought in clean air from my usually pollution-irritated lungs. It is dark as we near Passi and it also began to drizzle. Closing my eyes, I enjoyed the feeling of cool air and bits of rain shower touching my face. It is good to be home! Except for a brief moment, I didn’t pay much attention that the trip home took much longer than usual.

            Monday, May 13, I cast my vote for my favored candidates. Fifty percent of those I voted made it to both the local and national positions. As I listened to and read people’s reaction to the proclaimed winners, I made my own considerations:

• Personal dealings is still more effective than virtual. Many people still vote because a candidate did a specific personal act to them – a smile, a wave, a handshake, a hug, a photo op can win you votes sometimes more than your qualifications
• Utang na loob has more influence than the integrity and honesty of the politico. 
• There is still a lot of work to be done in educating the voters so they choose candidates according to principles and their conscience and not just because of popularity or worse, because of their notoriety, or because their amo told them so.
• In politics, it is not enough to have the best qualifications, intention and spirit of service. One needs to have enough machinery and the cunning to fight for a post.
• Money still talks. It is disheartening to note that corruption continues.

            At the end of the day (senator elect Nancy Binay’s favourite line. hehehe), the truth is, our newly elected leaders will be running the country for the next 3 to 6 years. Thus, I hope and pray that our leaders fulfill their promises. For the incoming provincial, district and town officials of my palangga nga Iloilo and Passi, I just have three requests:

1. Please work on the roads and bridges faster. The trip from Passi to Iloilo is taking us forever because of the re-routing and the rough roads. Despite at least 3 hours of lead time travelling, I still feared that I’d be missing my plane back to Manila because of the roads and unfinished bridge.
2. Please solve the problem with floods. I spent a good part of my short Christmas trip last year cleaning our house because water now enters it when there is flood. Think about the loss of property and the fear for our lives every time it rains heavily. Don’t use the calamity to gain pogi points and gain utang na loob from your constituents through the relief goods and funds that you will be distributing.
3. Those first two requests, I know, are quite gargantuan. That is why, my third request is that you cooperate and work together. Such huge projects need a concerted effort from each one. Please don’t block or make it difficult to carry out, noble projects initiated by another official simply because you are coming from opposing parties or you didn’t get his or her support during the elections. Enough of these nonsense and prove to us that you deserve being in your position. 

Of Sacred Cows and Evidence-Based Practice

I wrote this for my synthesis paper in one of our PhD subjects

                Ever since the ancient times, people have realized and accepted the fact that there is nothing permanent in this world but change. One of the ancient philosophers, Heraclitus (500BC; Graham, Summer 2011) compared existing things into the flow of the river: ”Into the same rivers we step and do not step, we are and are not."  This illustrated how change happens constantly. Man, being part of this world, is also affected by change. “All good men desire to change.  He longs to develop and to perfect himself” (Von Hildebrand, 1990). Under this line of thinking, nurses try to improve their Nursing practice. And since Nursing is a science, Nursing Practice should be based on science, wherein research is used to answer questions, establish protocols, and promote critical thinking and decision making at the bedside (Rauen, Chulay, Bridges, Vollman, & Arbour, 2008).

            Many new ways of practice had been introduced based on evidence – that is, research findings that are relevant and applicable to clinical situations with the aim of better outcomes for the patients. This is referred to as Evidence-Based Practice. The Institute of Medicine defines evidence-based practice (EBP) as “the integration of best research, clinical expertise, and patient values in making decisions about the care of individualized patients (Rauen, Chulay, Bridges, Vollman, & Arbour, 2008). More accurate measurement of blood pressure (Rauen et al, 2008), less- restricted visiting policies (Makic, VonRueden, Rauen, & Chadwick, 2011), unit guidelines for urinary catheterization (AACN Bold Voices, 2012) and the development of the seven domains and associated quality indicators for End-of-Life (EoL) care in critical care  (Efstathiou & Clifford, 2011) are among the results of the nurses’ efforts to discover better and safer ways of doing things.

            However, one irony about change, although constant and good people desire it, is that people also tend to resist it.  Change requires willingness and ability to change practices, regardless of the tradition and commonly held beliefs (Rauen et al 2008). Sometimes, though, it is not easy to leave tradition and one’s “security blanket” that were referred to by Rauen et al as sacred cows. John Maxwell (2011) describes this process   as the “pain of change”. It is painful to break the habit of doing things. It can be tiring and toilsome work, requiring persistence and resourcefulness (Sanborn, 2008). It is especially difficult if one's opinion or beliefs very much differ from the new evidence being presented. Several studies support positive outcomes for on-duty napping (Fallis, MacMillan, & Edwards, 2011). The authors noted that in nurses working either 8-or 12-hour night shifts, sleep deprivation increases the risk for patient errors, near misses, and personal injuries on shift and while driving home. Furthermore, the authors also concluded that sleep deprivation, sleep disturbance, and fatigue are also significant contributing factors to impaired personal health. They thus broached into the idea of restorative naps within work to address these problems. This proposal may be a welcome practice to many night duty nurses, but one can meet resistance among the traditionalists.

            More resistance can be expected to Daly’s (2008) proposal to withhold cardiopulmonary resuscitation unless there is prior order from the physician. She recommended  “to restrict use of CPR to those patients who provide adequately informed consent and for whom CPR has a reasonable chance of success” (Daly, 2008). This revolutionary idea based on research may not have many takers but this and the other new discoveries (too revolutionary or not), give growth and development to nursing science and consequently, to practice. Because of EBP’s, more specific and clear guidelines are present, that can signal to the staff the orientation of the goals of care and the interventions to be provided (Ells, 2010).

            EBP can further grow if there is a unified research agenda among muti-disciplines in health that are based on the assessed needs of a particular place. The effort to do this was shown by the multisociety task force for critical care who came up with a comprehensive agenda for critical care research using input from a broad range of stakeholders to serve as a blueprint for future initiatives (Deutschman, Ahrens, Cairns, Sessler, & Parsons, 2012).

            In summary, evidence-based practice has shown many ways of having a deeper knowledge about the patients, families and about the processes followed by the health team so that there is improved efficiency and safety in practice that would bring about better outcomes of care. Although resistance to change due to traditonal beliefs and practices may be encountered, these traditionalists who resist “putting their sacred cows out to pasture” will eventually be convinced if better outcomes are consistently manifested. With a concerted effort from the members of the different health disciplines who pulls the cart together in one direction based on one research agenda, we can expect greener pastures ahead. 

Holy Week

Holy Week

    
           It has been more than a decade (17 years to be exact) that I have attended the Holy Week services in my hometown, Passi. But I can still recall and appreciate those childhood memories wherein everyone tries to come home and be with their families during this time of the year. Life is a lot simpler then but I didn't find it boring at all. Holy Week begins today, Palm Sunday.  Radio stations, TV Networks (we only had Channels 4, 8, 10 and 12 then) and everywhere you go remind you that it's Holy Week. Bombo Radyo had Holy Week specials. You don't hear the usual "Sin-o ang May Sala" radyo drama. Instead, they're replaced by the Seven Last Words and other inspirational dramas. I also remembered crying over the characters portrayed by Tito, Vic and Joey and their entire Eat Bulaga troop. They don't do game shows on those days. Instead, they play serious characters and teach lessons of forgiveness, love, etc.

    But the highlight is the Easter Triduum - Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter.  Having studied and learned more about our  Christian faith, I am amazed at how great a teacher our mother the Holy Catholic Church is. The Bible characters come to life during those days and the entire town participates.  The 12 Apostles come from the different parts of the town. They also went by pairs to the houses, in their costume and sash to identify which Apostle they play. Oh, and they carried a coin purse too. When they come to your house, just like in the Gospels, after locating where the Sacred Heart image is, they start praying for peace and blessing for the entire family. We were welcoming, I think, so we didn't witness any of them brushing dust off their feet and getting back their prayers for peace. The 14 stations of the Cross is spread all over town that during the procession, you will have walked around the entire town to complete the 14 stations. The walk was quite tiring that I remembered cheating when I was a little younger. Our house is located towards the end, so instead of completing, we stayed at the street corner and just watched people and images pass. When I became a teenager, I was distracted with people watching. During the procession, you will see who is courting who or who is officially together. I also remembered watching out for my crushes  and wondered when I will ever be noticed.  But the procession and the Way of the Cross, I now realized, is a great catechism. Through the images, we get to know more the characters in the Gospels. Below are my considerations on these images:

     My Lola Esther's family is in charge of Mary Magdalene. Her image had nice curls and long lashes and rich clothes and she always carried a bottle of perfume. As a child, it was explained to me that she's quite vain that's why she's represented that way. But as you check out her character in the Gospels, you will realize that she's that lady whom Jesus expelled 7 devils. She lived a sinful life but after being forgiven, she learned how to love greatly and be most generous. She was that lady who didn't skimp on an expensive perfume (a whole year's laborer's wage worth) by breaking the bottle so all gets poured to anoint Our Lord's head before his Passion. 

     One image I didn't quite like was Martha's. She wore a very simple dress and carried a walis tingting. Why did she earn a place in the procession? Well, this lady taught us the value of domestic work. If Mary taught contemplative life, Martha teaches us the importance of taking care of the work of the home. It is such an important but unrecognized job. Without a lady taking care of a home, it will just be a house. But the home is where life and values are first learned. The love and care of a mother and wife will produce happy and contented and inspired husband and children.

      St. John. This young man became an Apostle when he was a teenager. He was the only unmarried among the Apostles. His life teaches us that chastity and total self-giving is possible and noble. Who was that apostle who kept reminding the early Christians to love one another even at old age?  It was John. Why was he able to speak about Love? Because his total self-giving taught him Love. 

      St. Peter with a cock. "Before the cock crows twice, you have disowned me three times" Jesus told Peter. Peter had a lot of faults but he said sorry and rectified. This impulsive guy truly loved Our Lord. That is why despite his weaknesses, he was made the "Rock" where Christ built his Church. He became the first head of the Church and he died a martyr trying to spread the Christian faith. He felt not worthy to die the way Jesus did so he asked that he be crucified upside down. 

      Jesus' agony in the garden with an angel holding a chalice. "Father, if you will, remove this cup...But not my will but yours be done". Suffering is never inviting. Even Jesus, in his human body, did not want it. But that suffering was our Redemption. So, in the end, Jesus followed The Father's will. We too should embrace our little and big crosses. The hurt are like the chips under the jeweller's hand.  Without being cut, we won't shine as the diamonds that we are meant to become. 

      There are a lot more images to consider and events in the Easter Triduum to comment on but it is time to end so I'll end... You may add your thoughts on the Last Supper, the Visits to the Monumentos, the kissing of the cross, the Easter vigil with the blessing of the seed of the farmers, the 7 Dolorosas, the meeting of Jesus and Mary at Easter morning...

Tulong sa CDO at Iligan 2012

Around Christmastime, I found myself signing up for a Medical Mission/De-briefing for the Typhoon Sendong Victims in Cagayan de Oro (CDO) and Iligan City. For a segurista type of person like me, I was surprised with myself. I know that by mid-January (the scheduled trip for the project), I will still be hectic at work. And I will still have backlogs from my other previous little assignments and commitments. Normally, I’ll be having second thoughts of making my already complicated life be more complicated. But there, the team leader has told the others that I'm joining and they're buying our tickets soon. Since there seem to be no backing out, I started helping in the fundraising. That part is where I started getting my inspiration to continue with what I’ve found myself into. Thank you for responding to my call for help. Thank you for your encouragements and for the prayers you’ve said for our safety and for the good effects of the activity. Thank you too to those who sent financial assistance to the project. We were a total of 15 volunteers – 5 MDs, 8 RNs, a dentist and a pharmacist. This group was started by the staff of Mapua Institute of Technology Health Services. The rest of us were friends of theirs who got invited because of our past experiences to these types of projects. Because of your help, we were able to go to CDO and Iligan to extend quality help to a percentage of those affected by Sendong. We conducted free medical consultations with free full dose medicines including antibiotics, distributed relief goods (Thanks to the place called Divisoria, there was multiplication of bath towels, blankets, toothbrush and detergent bars. Thanks to generous donors, our food items were not limited to sardines and noodles and rice) and had de-briefing with those billeted at Camaman-an Evacuation Center in CDO and Tambo Shelter Box (Tent City) in Iligan City. There were 89 families in Camaman-an and 123 families in Tambo. We also left boxes of necessary medicines to the Parish Church of Camaman-an. There were at least 30 families sheltered in the parish social hall. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find time to service them like the other two centers so we decided to give them our excess medicines which was timely because they’ve ran out of supplies.

Faith, hope and love were very tangible in every step of this adventure. These and other insights from the project, I’d like to share to all of you.

Not to be ashamed to ask. Somehow, it’s in our human nature to feel it not so easy to beg. There’s that fear of being rejected, ignored or insulted. But I realized that asking people to help is giving them opportunity to be generous. Asking my friends for help is giving them opportunity to show how much they care and support me. I don’t measure help by money alone. Since you are my friends, somehow I also know your capacity. A like to my post, a line of encouragement and a promise of prayers weighed as much too. It’s amazing to witness how generosity can be infectious. Because people saw that we’ve gone out of our way to render service, they were encouraged to help us too. Our van driver didn’t charge us for van rental for our trip to the airport going back to Manila because he saw our work when he serviced us the day before. We asked permission from the Philippine Army rescue group in Tambo to be allowed to use their dining table for our lunch. Not only were we allowed to use their table, each of us was also served a bottle of ice cold drinking water.

Faith in God. So much for religion being opium of the people. I rather believe that being need, being at a loss leads people to the Omnipotent. Because of faith, many of these people are coping well enough from the trauma of having to flee from the raging waters of the flood and from the losses that they had. For example: There’s Fe who, because of the logs that hit her while in the floods, lost consciousness and as a consequence lost her child whom she was holding that time. She didn’t blame anyone for the loss of her child. She mourns for the loss, yes. But because of her faith, she’s able to accept what happened and comforts herself by looking at the picture of her child whenever she misses her. Another lady said she lost a comfortable home they’ve invested and sweated out for, for years. Because of faith, instead of mulling over the loss, she and her family are planning how to start all over again. Another lady was so grateful to St. Joseph. She salvaged his image among the junk several years back. Because of her devotion to the saint, she attributes their survival. She kept on speaking to the saint during their ordeal. She said their house was not as sturdy as that of the others, but it did not collapse during the floods and they were all saved.

Personally, the experience also widened my understanding of faith. Before the actual trip to CDO/Iligan, I had several little and big requests from our Lord. A friend was teasing me because my little prayers were unanswered. In fact, my little fears started to become real. There were several inconveniences that happened before and on the first day of our trip.  But I was in awe with the answer to by big requests. I was bracing myself for the de-briefing assignment. Knowing my tendency to fall into melancholy and despite that, I hoped to achieve the aims for the participants of the de-briefing activities -- that they be able to tell their story, that I be able to detect unhealthy coping and make the necessary referrals, that I be able to synthesize what I’ve heard, that I be able to identify coping mechanisms so that the participants be able to find direction. I asked that I don’t get emotional, that my forgetfulness don’t attack, and that I be able to say the right words – the therapeutic technique in the nurse-patient interaction. I was able to achieve that. My gift for synthesis was at its best and I did not have to worry about how to respond! And my group mates where just great!

Hope. The people’s faith is helping them get up from the devastation of the recent calamity. I had to correct myself in how to refer to them. They are survivors, not victims of Sendong. You can feel their hope of being able to rebuild their lives again. Meanwhile, they need to be guided; they need more assistance in their little steps towards independence. For instance, they need new homes. Since acquiring a new house is not going to be soon, they need shelter boxes (tents) where they can have more privacy and security while the head of the family starts going back to work again.

Love. It’s so wonderful to confirm that, really, love conquers all! There’s a young couple in CDO who was expecting their first child last December. When the waters started to rise, the pregnant lady was awakened by mild contractions. She awakened her husband and they both discovered that water has started to enter the house they’re renting. The man called at a neighbour who’s a tricycle driver and instructed him bring his wife to the hospital while he put their belongings to a higher part of the house. But the waters were rising fast. The man eventually decided to leave the house to save himself, leaving behind the baby clothes and the money they’ve saved up for his wife’s hospitalization and everything they own. While he worried about whether his wife was able to make it to the hospital, his wife feared that she might soon be widowed because she saw how ravaging the floods were. I love happy endings and this one is.  The following day, the couple saw each other in the hospital. It was a few more days before their baby came. At the time that I met them, they are just awaiting the right time to start going back to work again. I didn’t notice any trace of trauma on the couple during our conversation. They shyly told me they’re celebrating their first wedding anniversary last January 22.

A fourteen year old girl’s story also caught my attention. She told me that during the floods, her father had to fish her out from the waters knowing that she cannot swim. Recalling the near death experience made her cry but it strengthened her trust on her father and was grateful to realize how much her father can do - endangering himself - for love of her. 

My Tagaytay Retreat

Once, Beethoven met a blind girl. He wanted to describe to her how the moon looks like. Using music, the language he knew best, he composed the Moonlight Sonata. Thanks to that desire, the blind girl, together with the entire world, can now appreciate the beauty, the mystery and the soothing effect of the moon even without using their sense of sight.  I also wish to describe a beautiful experience I recently had. But I cannot claim mastery in any language, so I hope you bear with me as I attempt to describe my experience with words. I had discovered a long time ago that I love writing but I am still trying to convince writing to love me 

Yearly, I go on a retreat to pause and do an overhaul of my soul and also my body. In this fast paced and frenzied world that we live in, I need this respite to see what has been happening in my life – both seen and unseen by others, the past year. This way, I understand myself more and get to synchronize my choices and decisions with the path that my Creator and Lord has called me to take.   

To make a good retreat, one cannot just take care of the spirit. The body has to be in it too. Ah, how I cherish those days when I had the luxury of an eight-hour sleep! Moving about in Metro Manila 24/7, if I’m not so organized (and I’m often not so organized), hardly gives me a six-hours sleep daily. So I welcomed the long nights and the cool temperature in Tagaytay. Oh, how I always looked forward to burrow and dream under the thick blanket each night! The right amount and quality of sleep kept me awake and alert during the day; enough to allow me to have a leisurely conversation with my God about my frustrations and hurts and doubts and dreams and loves. But it is not enough that I talk and talk and talk. I need a lot of listening too. An adequate sleep may not be enough to do that. So the other measure I took is to drink Batangas brewed coffee for breakfast and lunch together with the healthy and interesting meals served to us. I also took advantage of having a 30 minute jog every morning to facilitate better circulation of my usually languid anemic blood.

Jogging everyday is a taste of heaven. What with the fresh air and the relaxing environment. While jogging along the paved running lane, I was welcomed by the scent of the freshly cut grass on my first day. Also, I observed that the formerly baby pine trees I appreciated the last time I was in Tagaytay have grown tall enough to offer one some shade from the sun. Daily, my eyes also relished the different shades of the mayana plant, the Australian bush and the violet, pink, white, red and yellow colors of the tiny flowers along the way that breaks the different hues of green that dominates the huge garden. It was very enjoyable to jog while being kissed by the pleasant heat of the sun and end it with a flushed face and a skin shining with perspiration without smelling like Grade one pupils after their play.

With lots of water and physical exercises, I had a good cleansing of my body. The general confession I made on my first day of the retreat, on the other hand, cleansed my spirit. All throughout, I also did a lot of spiritual exercises – daily Mass, Holy Rosary, meditations, spiritual reading, listening to talks, contemplating Christ’s Passion and Death during the Way of the Cross and a more prodding during the examination of my conscience. These spiritual exercises left my spirit looking forward to the challenges of the coming year. I still have the same concerns at work, the same body to discipline everyday and the same swings of emotions on certain moments but the retreat brought with it new hope, new drive to struggle, and a renewed love for life.  

Care for a retreat too?

Quiet Time

Nothing is permanent in this world but CHANGE. Who said that?... Anyway, control freak that I am, even if I know this is true, I try to control the major changes that happen in my life. One of which is my recent transfer back to Manila. Much as I love nature tripping in Negros, I thought a change of environment will do me good. So last year, I requested that my job assignment be in Manila again. This will facilitate some plans that I have in the near future. Even if I requested for the change and even if I am used to life in a big city, still, I found myself not so prepared when the change happened. I had everything calculated. But I was called back two weeks earlier than I expected. And my job assignment is in Makati – a city quite different from Manila and Quezon City that used to be my workplace and home respectively. Since the transfer was two weeks earlier, I literally just threw my basic personal things in my luggage on the day of my flight. (I couldn’t pack earlier because I still had a long list of pending things to do.) The not so urgent things, I left behind in boxes to be shipped at a later day.
My first week was filled with daily little mishaps. On my way to find that best route commuting from Taft to Makati, I got lost almost everyday. I don’t know my way around in Makati. It didn’t help that I didn’t take time to study a road map and I just always felt my way through and relied on other people’s directions. This is very much different from my ten minute walk to work in Bacolod or my ten to fifteen minute jeepney ride to my other part-time job in the same city. By the end of the week, I found a term to describe Makati – a huge maze.
I describe my reaction to my new job set-up as a mixture of “in awe” and overwhelmed. Although it’s basically the same job description with supposedly the same standards as my previous workplace, the needs of the people I need to cater to are a lot more demanding. Being new and being aware that my staff is trying to measure me up added to my discomposure. Discoveries and adjustments happened so fast in the first days. There’s just so much organizing and planning and actions that need to be done. As I go home each day, I found myself dead tired. I felt I was a headless chicken running around and just going with the current. By the end of the week, I had enough. My being was clamouring for a quiet time. And quiet time I tried to have on my 2nd Sunday in Manila and the next Sundays onwards.
Thanks to a seminar I attended last summer, I am aware of the wonders of having a quiet time. As the speaker in that seminar said, we need a quiet time to acquaint, know and refine our inner world. To have intimacy with one’s self is necessary to have an authentic human life. In this world where one can have things at a click of a button, we can get used to living a superficial life and, even virtual life, devoid of interactions and intimacies that make us human beings far superior from our “Smart” gadgets.
After trying to strictly have my “quiet time”, I became more patient with myself and hopeful that in the near future, these changes and disorder caused by the changes will fall into place. Below are some questions that can help us live a “quiet time”:
Do I keep work hours to a certain number so that I can have quiet time?
Am I able to focus on my task at hand without interruptions from the use of mobile phone, internet, music, etc.?
Do I reserve quiet time to read literature or humanistic essays?
Do I seek the company of others to feel at ease?
Am I uneasy with just reading without conversing?
Do my conversations revolve around things and people?
Do my conversations remain at the level of just on the surface, what appears to the senses?
Am I at ease being alone to reflect (not alone to do things, such as to surf the web, to work)?
To rest my mind in my free time, do I surf the TV or news, the web, or check facebook and similar sites?

The RH Bill: A Legislation with good-sounding objectives

George W. Bush once said: "It is a sad fact of political life today that bad legislation sometimes becomes law because of politics. No one wants to be the bad guy who vetoes a bill with a good-sounding name... Even worse, this bill not only sounded good, it did have some good as well... The legislation had a great name . How noble. How sound. How difficult to veto."
As Congress debates on the RH Bill these days, our undecided congressmen might also be having the same dilemma as then Texas Governor Bush when he was deciding to veto a legislation on Patient Protection against HMO's.
In our case, who would want to go against a law that will protect and promote the basic right of parents to freely and responsibly plan the number and spacing of their children? Who would want to go against a law that will help lower the incidence of abortion? Who would want to go against a law which want to reduce infant deaths, promote safe motherhood and prevent the spread of the dreaded HIV and AIDS? Who in her right mind want her people to die in poverty?
I am a woman and a nurse by profession. I think womanhood is fascinating. And I take every opportunity to promote the cause of the women. I believe that parents should be responsible in matters that affect their children. And I also believe that we should fight the woes the RH bill wishes to fight. But I am NOT for the passage of the RH Bill and I hope our respected congresswomen and congressmen will NOT make this into a law.
Much as the objectives mean very well for the people, especially the women, its means to achieve the objectives are simply not right - many are even offensive. Yes, there are noble provisions in it, but the offensive parts outweigh the good ones. Although the RH Bill proponents believe that population is the cause of poverty, many studies by note-worthy economists also state that there is no co-relation between population and development. Some even believe that the more young population there is, the more possibilities there will be for progress. Many RH Bill proponents also believe that human life begins at implantation. That is why they do not believe that IUDs and many hormonal contraceptives can cause abortion. But what about many of us who believe that human life begins at fertilization? These above mentioned modern means of family planning render the uterus hostile for implantation - thus human life can be aborted. Our consciences will not allow us from cooperating with evil. This bill will force us to give up our hard earned money through taxes to fund the purchase of these evil means. This is government stifling our right to practice our faith. Mandatory sex-education. Have you read their module? It teaches that religion is an obstacle to one's freedom. Condoms. Thanks to the false security condoms gives, Thailand, where the condom king lives, has now one of the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world. As to maternal health, my direct exposure to the community as a nurse taught me that it’s not the number of children that makes a family healthy. It’s having love, education and work. Do you want to ensure safe pregnancy and delivery? Hire government health workers that do not threaten mothers giving birth that they won't be accommodated again if they get pregnant soon. One poor mother because of the threat, gave birth the following year to her home without medical help. We had to bring her to the hospital...
The bill, for all its good-sounding objectives, would like to change the Filipino culture. With the passage of this bill, we are opening our doors wide to licentiousness and immorality where there is no place for a Provident God. The future generation, those who will be allowed by their parents who are playing God, to be born (because many will not have a chance) will live in a world where values like chastity, fidelity and self-control are unknown. With the passage of this bill, soon we will witness mothers, when their teenage daughters go to parties, instead of saying: “Be careful, dear. Enjoy but behave. Know your limits” We will hear: “Be careful, dear. Enjoy, don’t forget to bring condoms.” (By the way, this line was heard some years back from a mother in New York where the contraceptive mentality is very much alive). This implies that having sex even if you're not married, is okay as long as you don't get pregnant. Will the contraceptives be available for free only for married couples? No. It will be available for everyone. It will be available for children without their parents' knowledge. It will be available to BPO workers who want to have free sex/casual sex after a few drinks. "Safe sex" without love, without commitments... Have you read this line some months ago:"Keep your rosaries away from our ovaries!" Is this Filipino culture? It sounds like coming from Margaret Sanger's world. But I read it here in our country. This bill will encourage this oh so un-Filipino mentality.
I hope our respected congresswomen and congressmen will be brave enough to say No to this bill with good-sounding objectives. I hope you realize that this is bad legislation. We are behind you. We will show our appreciation in the next elections. Please do not exchange our future to pressures from outside, the same people whom they say are ready to pay you 10 million pesos each just to have this bill approved. They will gain back these millions in a short time because the government will be buying millions of modern family planning devices from them.
To close, I'd again like to borrow former US Pres. George W. Bush's words: "You see, the strength of a society should not be measured only in the wealth it accumulates or the technology it develops. The strength of a society should be measured in the values its people share." We're not even sure that this bill will bring in wealth to our people. I know the Philippines is a place where people hold fast to basic values. "People can improve their lives through hard work and education. All must know they have a chance to succeed. It does not happen when they are at the mercy of outside forces; it happens when they realize they have a worth, a dignity, and a free will given by God, not by government. "
"Government cannot solve all our problems. The real answer to improving people’s lives is found in the hearts of decent, caring people who have heard the call to love their neighbours as they would like to be loved themselves. "
"Children must be educated in right from wrong. They must learn to say yes to responsibility, yes to family, yes to honesty and work... And no to drugs, no to violence, no to promiscuity or having babies out of wedlock. "
Our dear congresswomen and congressmen. Please say NO to the RH Bill.

Staying Fit in the Bacolod Heat

When I arrived in Bacolod more than a year ago, one of the things I first noticed is the intense heat, especially during the day. Manila can be hot but the weather here is worse. I sometimes feel like the sun is so enraged that it wishes to burn all that’s under it. While suffering the heat, I was reminded of the time when I joined a group of friends hike towards the Taal crater. On our way to the crater, we observed fumes coming out of the rocks. I just finished reading Dante’s Purgatorio then, and I imagined that’s how it must be like in purgatory. The heat of Bacolod sometimes also feels like you’re in purgatory.
Being a person who loves the cool weather of Baguio and Tagaytay, my initial reaction to the heat was to get cooped in an air-conditioned room most of the time. But it hindered my movements, it affected my mood and it limited my productivity. Fears of dehydration, heat stroke and sunburn also came into my hyperactive mind. I didn’t like it at all. So soon, I decided the heat should not enslave me. I needed to go out to work and I want to live a normal, happy and healthy life.
I know my fears were real. The sun can really burn your skin and can cause the appearance of premature age spots and wrinkles. Heat can make you dehydrated. Dehydration brings discomforts like headache, parched lips, dry and itchy skin, drowsiness and tiredness. Also, we should not to forget, the sweating and the possible smell. Morbid though it seems, but to top it all, I also heard of someone who came here to attend a funeral only to be brought to the emergency room and die of heart attack.
So how am I coping with the Bacolod heat? How do I stay fit and happy and live my life to the full? First, I had to face the fact that we only have a sunny and rainy season here. Either it’s sunny and terribly hot, or it’s uncomfortably raining outside. Nothing in between. With this fact accepted, I have to change my habits a bit. Whenever I go out, I always bring an umbrella. I told myself that using an umbrella isn’t “uncool”. It is rather uncool and foolish to suffer the consequences of the scorching heat of the sun. Since I cannot live without a bag, it was not so hard to make sure that it has in it, my three-fold UV protect umbrella. I also use a 100% UV protect sunglasses. Having astigmatism is bad enough. Migraine due to the sun’s glare is worse. To avoid dehydration, I make sure I drink lots of fluids. At least eight glasses of water per day. So as not to be bored, I also take fresh juices. Bacolod is blessed with a supply of a variety of fruits the whole year. Lastly, to keep life happy, I regularly go out with friends to explore the many refreshing and invigorating sites Negros possesses – waterfalls, mountains, lakes and beaches. I just make sure I have enough water, sunblock and sunglasses and a mood for adventure. 

Loving One’s Body

I love my body! I came to this conclusion again after I was down with acute gastroenteritis two weeks ago. I had to be in bed the whole day and I also experienced fever and chills. I had a difficult time accepting my predicament because first, I seldom get really sick so I don’t know how to play the role of a sick person and second, I’m scheduled to take the first flight to Manila the following day for my much awaited break. Missing my flight was inconceivable.
As I lay on my bed trying to analyze which nutrient my GIT is not able to absorb, I also started asking why this had to happen to me. Soon, it seems that my body started to answer me: “Well, you were not careful. You were not feeling well yesterday yet you didn’t slow down. Worse, you ate a lot during supper. I was telling you to stop but you insisted on finishing the oysters on the table…”
Considerations:
Often times, illness comes because we have not been listening to our body. Even if there’s pain, even if there’s a lump, even if the weighing scale registers an alarming reading, we remain bull headed and we continue with our unhealthy routines. It’s time to listen to our body and show that we also love it.
If ever illness comes, we should welcome it because we can in fact get something good out of our illness. Illness can tell a truth about us – we can get to know our self deeper. We get to realize that we do have limitations. Before my AGE, I never thought my GIT cannot handle a combination of oysters, ginataang tambo (bamboo shoots with coconut milk and corn and okra), chicken inasal (grilled) with sinamak and white chocolate cheesecake. Now, I can here Pacman’s favourite line: “Now, you know.”
Illness is not only bearable but in a way, it is also a completion of a person especially when fully undergone for a purpose. Illness has a place in our life because it gives us time to reflect.
We have to be warned, though, that something in illness is innately introspective. Thus, to be sick is dangerously self-centering. We need to remember that this body can possess us, especially when it is ill. We can be at our worst behaviour. We can also fall into self-pity and depression. Before these negative things happen, we have to keep in mind that illness is not a circumstance, a situation nor a determination of who we are. When we think we are sick, let us try to go out of ourself, think of the others and rise above self-centering. Then, we will see that it can also be a fulfilment of our lives.

Education of Sentiments and Human Integrity

A good friend once sent me a quote from John Knowles' The Paragon: "...I may be only a 'partial person' for the rest of my life... But partial people do the great things in the world, don't they? So many of the scientists, and artists, and innovators did great work to make up for the inner knowledge that they were condemned all their lives to be - incomplete people.
Why be a 'partial person' when we can be complete? Nurses are trained to care for their patients in a holistic way. For us to be quite effective, we need to take care of ourselves in a holistic way too.
Considerations:
Each person is unique. What she is now is a product of her biological make up and learnings from life experiences. Because of this multifactors that make up a person,she has certain tendencies which may be positive or negative that it may lead her closer or farther from self-perfection. To have human integrity means to be able to act/react according to what is appropriate to a given reality. On the long-term, to act in such a way as to lead to the end. Because of one’s unique make up – temperament, character and personality, it may not be easy for a person to react appropriately to any given situation. That is why, she must educate her sentiments to reach a level of maturity/human integrity that she is meant to have.
To achieve human integrity, a person must:
* first know herself. It would be good for her to know and understand her temperament – both her positive and negative tendencies. Once she starts knowing herself, she will realize that she is different from the others. Thus, she could not expect the same reactions when she deals with different people.
* acknowledge her different tendencies so she can start to control emotions/ sentiments that may not be apt for a given situation.
* not stop on self-knowledge. It is not enough. She also needs to think through situations and events that have provoked her to show her emotions. This way, she'll see facts about herself and the others behind these situations and events.

Self-control and self-possession must be practiced constantly. By constant practice of self-control,that is, by exerting efforts to react according to what reality demands despite her opposing tendencies, she will be lead nearer to self-mastery – human integrity.

My Wellness Project

A few years back, as part of my requirement in my Health Promotion subject in graduate school, I started with a wellness project. Of the three health behaviors that I’ve identified, I prioritized physical fitness as my project. Fast forward, I looked into my wellness status again and I still see the same needs.

End of June this year, I had the good fortune of experiencing how it is to have pictorials for a fashion magazine. Since the photo shoot happened in our house, one of my housemates, using our point and shoot digital camera, took a picture of me in one of the dresses we used. I was flabbergasted and worried by the result of the shot. I had gained weight more than necessary! I hurriedly analyzed the situation and refreshed my memory on my project a few years ago. I saw that it is quite important to address this problem because as an instructor of Stress and Illness/Death and Dying where wellness is tackled, I felt the need to be a good example. I need to walk my talk.
So here goes my wellness project for this school year:

Step one: Assessment

Physical Fitness. Keeping myself physically fit has been my last priority. Somebody plans and prepares my food daily so in this aspect, I know I have balanced meals. But with my heavy load as a clinical instructor, I easily drop doing regular aerobics and muscle toning in my schedule. This neglect was reflected in the following:
1. Cardio-respiratory Endurance. I have never been strong in this aspect. I cannot do jumping jacks nor play sack race and I run out of breath whenever I climb flights of stairs. Once in a while my x-ray shows cardiomegaly. Although I was cleared by a cardiologist from any cardiopulmonary ailment, she advised me to strengthen this aspect through cardio exercises.
2. Posture. Because of lack of exercise, my posture also suffered. I often catch myself slouching, with round shoulders and protruding abdomen.
3. Flexibility. I’ve improved in this aspect since my last assessment but I need to at least maintain my flexibility.
4. Muscular Endurance. Assessment showed that I need to strengthen my upper body and abdominal muscles. This is very much important since as a nurse, we sometimes need to lift patients. Strong upper body muscles also mean being able to maintain good posture easily and looking slim.
5. My BMI showed that I am slightly overweight. (Sorry folks, I can’t divulge how much)
Step Two: Planning
A. Behavior change contract
a. The behavior that I will modify in order to produce a higher level of health for me are physical fitness activities that include the following areas:
Cardiorespiratory Endurance
Posture
Flexibility
Muscular Endurance
Diet
b. My plan is to do a 1 hour physical training program at least 3 times a week. The program will be composed of a warm up, aerobic exercises (salsacise or turbo jam), muscle toning exercises, stretching exercises and a cool down. I will alternate the 20-min Turbo Jam plus 40 minute sculpting exercise with an hour of Salsacise and an hour of pilates inspired movements.
c. Support groups: So far, I have several housemates who also love Turbo jam and join me in the work out. I also keep in mind my friends who noticed my weight gain and my students. Lastly, I have Rosemary, Celine and Dianne, my work out instructors in the three videos I’ve mentioned.
d. My greatest reward is to find myself more fit and energetic. I don’t want to ask for more.
e. I will complete this contract and reevaluate it October 15, the last day of our term.
B. Objectives
My main objectives are:
a. Lose at least 8 lbs
b. Trim my waist at least 2 cm
c. Trim my hips at least a cm
d. Be able to perform disc three of my pilates CD with control and balance
e. No rounded shoulders and protruding abdomen in my posture
Step Three: Implementation
My schedule from mid July until the first week of September was nerve wracking. I had work practically almost everyday from Monday to Saturday. I tried to do my exercises with my aimed frequency but there were weeks when I had to cut the length of the work out to 20 minutes or cut the frequency from 3 times to at least once. All throughout, I was conscious of my food intake. It is a great help that many of my students’ care plans and teaching plans were on nutrition. I see MSGs in my favorite junk foods, cholesterol in my porkchop, Bicol express and menudo and sweets in my desserts so it’s easy to cut down on these items. Take note, cut down but not abstain. On the other hand, I see roughage, vitamins and minerals in my vegetables and fruits so I willingly take little more spoonfuls of these despite the fact that some do not ordinarily appeal to my appetite.
Step Four: Evaluation
My behavior regarding physical fitness had a difference before and during the Project. There was increase in motivation to perform physical fitness activities. Even if my schedule did not allow me to do much physical activities, the resolve to go back to what I’ve started is very strong. Even if the demands from school have increased, I was able to keep my cool most of the time. The fitness program made me more alert, active and cheerful. My posture has improved. I have also started to lose weight. For flexibility, balance and muscle control, I am now able to follow CD three of pilates although I still need to be more comfortable with the movements.

On Stress and Illness

My last days of July this year had been very busy. I had a very full load at school and a very important relative came for a visit. I couldn't miss the chance of being with this relative. His very short visit might be his last. I also cannot just give up my load at school because that could create some agitation to several people, considering that we follow a quite complicated schedule.
So, I decided to just run from one place to another during these days. One time I had to wake up very early in the morning to be with my relative then immediate rush to meet my students in some place in Manila for their Related Learning Experience (RLE). Another time, I had to hurry to another end of Metro Manila after school to again be with my relative and the rest of the family. The traffic situation in the city did not help. There were moments when I wished the car I'm in can fly so that I can reach my destination on time. I hate the idea of people waiting for me because I'm late. So, this added to the pressure.
For a while, I was tempted to feel like a victim of circumstance. But I decided to carry on with such a schedule so I can accomplish many things. When school started this year, I resolved to maximize each moment I have because this will be my last term at the university. Looking back at my past five years there, I regretted the moments when I could have planned my schedule better so I can do more things. So I thought I'll give my best shot in this last stretch. Some items in my "bucket list" included:
> I'll perfect the lessons that I've been giving,including the documentation part, e.i., resource units, so my co-concept lecturers and the younger ones can start off where I ended
> I'll help stabilize the INSC Spiritual Committee so the members will be more self-propelled, and the next WESTYV Committee chair can start on other interesting activities, hopefully, more focused on the faculty
> I'll put order on the accounts of the Faculty Club so the next Treasurer can just continue the system. Still on the Faculty Club, that I help make the transfer to our new Faculty room smooth enough and create a homey yet a conducive place for healthy professional and social exchanges between the members.
The list goes on. It sounded simple but it took a toll on my outlook especially at the last days of July when I was faced with more family and social responsibilities.
How did I survive? I applied some tips I usually give to my students for my Stress and Illness lecture:
> Focus on the present. I can't do much about the past nor the future so I might as well give 100% attention to the present.
> Order in my schedule as well as priorities. To focus, I need to know what I need/want to do. By having a "to do" list, I know where to focus my energies.
> Love. Once focused, I can put my entire being, including my mind, heart and will on the present activity . Consequently, I'll enjoy what I'm doing.
But what about the traffic? Cars don't fly. When your car doesn't move because of traffic jam and you're stuck there, grab the chance for a pause. Stretch out and relax your tensed muscles, listen to good music if possible, send the needed SMS to people, and if the pause is long, be more interested in your surroundings. There are so many interesting things/moments that we miss out daily because we are so much in a hurry. These unplanned pauses are our chance to discover more joys and lessons in life.

Making Judgments

Last Thursday, I was with my students at a Government Health Center in Manila. We were busy giving vaccines on infants when a mother came in with her two year old son with orders from our physician for Measles, Hepatitis B and DPT vaccines. That would mean three injections.
Normally, we aim that a child be fully immunized before he reaches one year of age. I wondered why the mother was not able to comply with this (didn't bring the child earlier) so I verbalized my thoughts. She replied that they went on a vacation. Scolding, I told her what a long vacation they had and that she could have been more considerate with her son's health. Because of her negligence, her son will now have to suffer three injections. The mother just kept quiet as we prepared and administered the vaccines. I then grudgingly gave the crying child, who behaved well during the ordeal, my small pack of sweets as a reward.
Back home that evening, I related the incident to a roommate still critical of the mother's negligence. My roommate, who had more sense, told me that maybe the family's delay in coming back from a "vacation" was due to not having money for fare. It's true. Most of our clients are poor. That mother and child looked poor. Mea culpa . I could have known better.
Consideration: Think things through. Avoid making judgments on the motives and intentions of people. It is always better to say: "You give the impression that...", "you seem..." and lines that state observations instead of judgments.

Introductions

I've been wanting to start a blog so I can have an outlet for the thoughts that wish to come out of my mind especially on my chosen profession and on the people I get to deal with in the course of my practice. Although this will basically be on Nursing, you might also find some notes showing the "normal" person behind the nurse.
I found my field in Nursing, as an instructor, last 2003. When I was younger, I always tell people that I will never be a teacher. But look at me now. I just love forming young people to be future nurses! As an instructor, I get to bring students to the different settings of nursing - home, hospital, school, community. With it comes some adventures...