My fifteen-day vacation will soon commence. I have never been this excited to go home to my hometown. I will finally be seeing my family and high school friends again. Plus, I will be eating all the food I've missed. I cannot wait! :)

Ahhh, always double the fun!

Live Frugal

I've always been very frugal, almost always to a fault. I scrimp on most things save the essentials. I like it that way. Most times, people give me odd looks because how and why I do it bother them. I don't have a problem with it, hence I do not get why it should also be a problem to anyone. I find extreme pride in the fact that when I want something so bad, I could get it no matter how long it takes, because I save up for it. I hear people say, that's too expensive, or, it's impossible. Being a nurse means having a meager pay. I chose this and any complaints about my salary would mean a question in my professional decision. And I would not want that because it will not do me any good.

So in tough times like these, I switch on my frugal mode. It's exciting to see how I come up with money to spend on my travel, leisure, and wants. Just last night, I did myself a favor. I bought a set of books because I've been wanting to own it for the longest time. It felt so good. I thought to myself, hey you've come a long way from being a scrimp master to a I-feel-like-I-should-do-some-self-spending. :)

From my little nook...

Small things that I am grateful for:

1. 15 hours of undisturbed sleep

 - I had a very tiring schedule. After six days of work, I finally had a rest day. I went home around 4 in the afternoon yesterday and went straight to bed after washing my body. I didn't even have my dinner. I woke up at 10:30 in the morning today. I would've slept more, but decided I had more than enough. :) Sleep is essential. It is a luxury not everyone can have.

2. songs that make you smile

 - When I listen to Lady Gaga's Pokerface, I am reminded of that very fun night in college. I was on a duty, along with my classmates. We were all sleepy. We played this song and made impromptu dance steps to go with it. We were laughing so hard! Looking back, that song was indeed one of the soundtracks of our lives. I would give anything to have that night back.

3. text messages from my mother

 - It is a known fact that I lived away from my parents for the last seven years. Although they try to fly here as regularly as they can, seeing them everyday is so much different. I would love to feel the warmth of my mother's touch when I'm sick. I would love to hear her nag when I'm being extra pushy. I would love to have her around when I go home from work/school. So text messages from her are always highly regarded. :)

4. biblical quotes

- This is one of my favorite quotes from The Bible: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

It says it all. God is good all the time. He will provide for all our necessities. :)

I've heard and seen series of unfortunate incidents, not of mine personally but to several people I am close to or acquainted with, tonight and the past week. When I heard these gruesome stories, I told to myself, 'I may consider not giving birth if this is the kind of world my child will live in.' Seriously, the world has gone mad! Who would shoot someone in broad daylight? Whatever the reason, it is and will never be justifiable. That man was a father, a husband, a son, a brother, and a friend to so many. He had a dream. He had a family. He was young and innocent. He was just out to go to work. Why? :(

There is also that lonely face of hopelessness that persists to come out when times  are tough and our strength is sapped. When you see a dear friend lying semi-conscious in a hospital bed fighting to survive another day, the feeling of despair rubs off on you. I felt that more so tonight. I know I had no right to question and the best that I could do was to hold back those tears and smile my most genuine smile.
The odds are not in our favor, but pretty soon, the wind shall change its course. Today she's down here, tomorrow she will be up there. Lord, I know You. You never fail those who come to You for help. :)

Everyday, the moment I wake up, I say out a prayer and a reminder to myself to be good, say good, do good. I have been constantly trying to better myself. I think you could say that I'm old enough to know what's right and wrong. It doesn't take a very smart woman to figure that out.

I meet different kinds of people at work. The valuable lessons they teach me is immensely rich and helpful. What I learn from them I always try to apply to my personal and social well-being. Always trying being the keywords. A dear coworker (and I didn't even see him a friend back then) told me yesterday, I don't measure people by his intelligence or material wealth. There's really more to all those. And he could have never said anything wiser than that. It matters to me too that he told me something confidential, saying I know you can keep a secret. Words like these mean a lot to me, it's as if I need a validation that I've been a good person, after all.

I've been working on things lately. And anytime you feel like I'm breaking up, please feel free to reprimand me. :)

1. No lying

Sometimes, it comes off very easily to all of us to say a little white lie here and there, or when the situation warrants. We tell reasons from another to excuse ourselves that we are indeed just telling the truth. I do that, too. But I've come to realized how there is so much truth in the saying honesty is the best policy. I try so hard to say the truth as it is; no lies concealed. So the next time someone asks me something, I say it like black and white are the only options, no gray areas included.

2. Not to speak badly/negatively of others

This one is so hard, trust me. I feel bad every time I find myself doing it. My conscience doesn't let me have a good night's sleep. :/ I know we all do it, intentionally or not. There comes a point when we feel it's obligatory to warn others of a person's ill nature. We think that's alright, I had to alert/caution him. But it's wrong. We can never justify saying something bad against a person, no matter our reasons. I'm trying to master the art of shutting my mouth when I don't have anything nice to say. If they think you dress sloppily, you will never hear it from me.

We all have to work ourselves into being the best person we can possibly be. My days are numbered and my skin is aging, I wouldn't want to wait for another time to do it. So help me God. :)

I've been staring at this blinking cursor on my screen for a long time now. I've had so many thoughts last night before sleep consumed me, and I said to myself, "Time to write them all down...", but I find myself experiencing writer's block as I type. It's a shame, really, but it won't get the better of me.

I've had a very good laugh with my coworkers last night. We went out after an extremely busy shift at work. We all thought we deserved it. Pizza and milk tea are always a good combination. While I have been trying so hard to put my saving skills on a front gear, I also feel like spending a little will do me some good. I had to remind it to myself, time and again. :)

I really have nothing special or whatnot to rant or share about. It's just that I feel incredibly blessed with all the things happening to me. I have a stable job, even with a meager pay, and I get to work with funny friends, too. It's an added plus that I get to go home to two beautiful sisters, who put me on a pedestal anytime I feel like my day is headed for the worse. Let me not forget to give credit to my family back home who loves me so much. I blush. ^o___o^

Good Lord, You are amazing!!! :)

I'm on a High!!! :p

I feel weirdly elated today! This is madness!!! I cannot even wipe this smile off my face. It may either be attributed to the very wonderful fact that I will be finally off from work later, and I need not wake up too early for I have a later call time the next day or maybe the sweet corn I had for breakfast was so delicious I had to remind myself that I should eat like a queen. Amaytheen!! :p
Ta-ta, off to bed I go now... *hey Tin, pleaassseeee, stop grinning!!! 

Happy First

Please let me not forget to write down my thoughts because I seem to have been stuck in the land of neglect and disregard. I know I would have written had I had so much time in my hands. But the thing is, hospital duty sucks the life out of me. I would sleep twelve hours EVERY DAY if I had that chance. :/
Last night was easy-breezy at work, despite our numerous patients' admissions. The number one contributing factor is the people I work with. They're funny and loud! Every night, we share stories of life, realizations, jokes, and whatnot. I find myself amused and so engrossed I forget to prepare the patients' medications. It's crazy!
And every day, when the clock strikes 4:30 in the morning, I take a walk inside the hospital and look out over the nearest window. I may see buildings after buildings ahead of me, but that tiny crack of dawn symbolizes another new beginning and there's an overwhelming feeling inside of me. It's a good kind of feeling, almost surreal to be living out another day to chase my dreams. :)
Almighty Father, You are amazing and eternally kind! :)