TINAPAY NA, NAGING BATO PA

I was the resident-on-duty two nights ago. It was around 8pm, and I was on my way up to my room, when I passed by Nurse Station 1 and noticed a tall, lanky guy lurking around the nurses' table. When he saw me, he immediately turned around and walked up the ramp which led to the second floor. I took a peek to see if he has left, but I noticed that a man's shadow was still visible. The Station 1 Nurse came back from the wards, and I asked her if she knew that suspicious guy. She said she didn't know him. I told her I was gonna report the incident to our pharmacist, and left my bag, my bible, my tumbler, and some documents in the nurses' table.

It took me just a few minutes to describe the questionable person to our pharmacist, who promptly told our security guard. It kinda felt awkward to pass judgement on someone without any evidence, but I felt very uneasy about the whole thing. I headed back to Nurse Station 1 to get my things, and as I turned around the corridor, I saw the suspicious guy back at the nurses' table,
HIS HAND ON TOP OF MY BAG!!!

He stepped back when he saw me, and I hurriedly approached him, and with a loud voice asked what he was doing. He mumbled something incoherent, and then flipped through my documents, asking if a certain patient's papers were there. I felt my eyes grow big, and I instantly grabbed his left wrist and yelled, "Why are you touching my things!?!" He was taken aback, and he pulled back his arm, and started running towards the ramp. I ran after him, and screamed like mad, calling out our pharmacist's name. He stopped and turned around, and started requesting for me not to yell. He said he was in the hospital to visit a friend, and that he didn't do anything wrong. I asked him why he ran, and he retorted by saying that he freaked out when I grabbed his hand. I seized him by the wrist again, and told him that I was taking him to the Emergency Room.

By then a lot of people has gathered near the ER cos he was loudly protesting his innocence, while I was also shouting at him saying that I clearly saw his hands on top of my bag (though I was careful not to accuse him of anything). The guard took him to a chair just outside the ER entrance, and told him to calm down, telling him that if he was really innocent then he had nothing to worry about. The guy insisted that he was there to visit this certain patient, so we called down that patient's relative who confirmed that the suspicious guy was indeed their neighbor. By then I had already calmed down a bit and started to fret and feel guilty for putting the person in such an embarrassing situation. I went inside the ER, and realized that my hands were trembling. Our pharmacist approached me, and secretly told me that the patient's relative said that the guy was not trustworthy, so we were calling for police assistance. She was also going to check the CCTV to review the incident.

We probably detained the guy for almost 30minutes, cos the police took such a long time to arrive. By then I think the suspect realized that we called the authorities, and started to become agitated especially when the guard showed him a picture of a previous thief we caught on CCTV, who bore a striking similarity to his profile. Then at one point, the guard became distracted and busy attending to people coming in and out, and the suspect saw his chance. He rushed towards the main gate but was blocked by our ER nurse (who is a small, thin guy!). Realizing that he couldn't escape from there, he quickly rushed back towards the Nurse Station 1, towards the end of the hallway, and jumped out from the window (which was two-storeys high!). Our guard ran after him, but he was gone. The police arrived by then, but they were too late.

We assumed by then that he must have been guilty since he ran away. When we finally got to review the CCTV, he really did get something from the front compartment of my bag, which he immediately pocketed. He was about to go away, but he turned back cos he was aiming for the main compartment of my bag. That was when I caught him touching my bag, but he wasn't opening it so I couldn't accuse him of anything. Thinking back, I shouldn't have been so soft-hearted and should have immediately suspected him, cos a normal person won't go around touching other people's things. Anyway, we plan to file a case against him, cos we think he's the one who has been repeatedly stealing our nurses' cellphones. I rummaged through my bag and realized that I lost my 50-peso bill. Good thing I didn't have any valuables inside that bag, but the thought that a crook touched my things and that I actually caught him and even chased after him still freaks me out. Despite the fact that he escaped, I feel a sense of pride for what I did, but also know that it was a dangerous thing to do. A lot of people praised me for being so brave, but those same people also scolded me for being so stupid. Because of the adrenaline rush, it didn't cross my mind back then that he could have attacked me or even stabbed me or something. God was truly on my side at that time. Thank God none of us got hurt, and nothing valuable was lost.

I really hope he gets caught soon. The thought that he's just lurking around somewhere, waiting for his next chance, totally freaks me out. I pray that God will keep all of us, especially our staff and patients, safe from up-to-no-good people like him.

TODAY WAS A USELESS DAY

Today was one of the most useless days of my life. I woke up at 630am, which was pretty early since I didn't have work, had breakfast and went online for a while before preparing myself for today's activities. Here's what I had in mind:
1. Go to GSIS to secure an Ecard.
2. Go to SSS to have my photo taken and ID made.
3. Go to PMA to get my Powercard and renew my membership to the association.
4. Go to PLDT-Philcom to get my billing statements.
5. Go to Gaisano (for no specific reason).
6. Go to Ate Gigi's house for pedicure.

So off I went, excited to do so many things today, and guess what happened!?

1. Went to GSIS and saw the snake-like queue for priority numbers. They started giving out the numbers since 4am, and I was already 6 hours behind the line. I figured I'd be wasting too much time waiting, so I decided to leave.

2. Went to SSS and saw no queue! Went up to the security guard and learned that they already finished handing out all the priority numbers for the day (so that is why there's no line!). To save face, I pretended instead to ask for the E6 application form, but I already knew that it can be downloaded from the net.

3. Went to PMA but they couldn't find my Powercard. To save face (again!), I told them that I'll pay my annual dues instead, but I learned that I was PhP500 short of the amount, so I ended up not paying and not saving my face at all. ^^;

4. Went to PLDT-Philcom and learned that due to some system problem, I still don't have my bill since December. I crossed my fingers and hoped that meant free connection forever, but I think they will eventually send me a collective bill, and I'll prolly be too broke by then to pay up.

5. Went to Gaisano. Bought several Tommy Hilfiger swim shorts for my father and myself. They were really cute. I then had lunch at Chowking and finally got a taste of the Orange Chicken Lauriat. It wasn't anything special at all. Boo.

6. Went to Ate Gigi's house so that she could fix the pain my ingrown toenails is causing me. She wasn't home. Boo again.

It was still 3pm but I opted to go home instead and played Plants vs Zombies. I finally finished the Adventure Mode, had noodles for dinner, and brewed really bad coffee (too bland). Then I fixed up my list and now I'm blogging.

Tomorrow is the start of more mis-adventures. Suoh and his dad are coming over for a visit, and on Friday, my sister will be coming home with her boyfriend. It's going to be a very busy week ahead.

A VERY LONG DAY

Since I slept around 4ish am so I woke up late and left the house around 1030am. I needed to do a lot of things which I've been procrastinating for the past two days, so I was slightly pissed cos it was already so late. I'm always pissed during mornings.

First I went to the Philippine Medical Association to get my ID. And I know that I have paid until May 2010, but my membership was only listed as until 2009, so I don't know what's up with that. But since I didn't bring my receipt, I decided to clarify it next time. I wanted to go to the Bureau of Internal Revenue office but it's quite far and by the time I'll reach there, it will be their lunch break already, so I decided to go to Limketkai Mall instead.


I went to McDo for lunch and had my favorite Double Cheeseburger Deluxe plus the Ice Age 3 special Twister Fries and Ice Blue Float. The float tasted like medicine x___x. While I was there, I plotted my activity for the day so that I can maximize my time in the afternoon. I also met my classmate Chris Bandoy there.


Around 130pm, I went to Picture City because I needed some 1x1 ID pics. Then I went to National Bookstore to buy some stuffs which were actually quite useless: a padded envelope for my Mom's portable DVD player, a green highlighter which I don't really need, and on impulse, I picked up a copy of one of my favorite books, Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie, and took all these to the cashier. Then I went to Watson's to buy some more useless stuffs, and then stopped by Robinson's Department Store and ended up buying a plaid blouse and some underwear. Then I ate low fat cappuccino ice cream at Fiorgelato. To sum up what I've done, I ended up spending some money on stuffs which were not part of the budget. Hahay. >__<


While sitting in Fiorgelato, I was texting my friend Gervie. We made plans to visit our high school classmate Mark, who was here for Sarah Geronimo's concert. Then I browsed through the Peso Saver (a local magazine of ads) and checked out some listed houses/apartments for rent. We're given until October to move out our present apartment, so hopefully we'll have ample time to prepare.

For my last stop in Limketkai, I went to the Sun Shop to pay my bill, then asked them regarding the possibility of having my Sony Ericsson R300 repaired. Last night, I accidentally dropped it and must have damaged something, cos I can't hear my calls anymore. Since our SE service center closed down some time ago, so the Sun agent told me that if I wanted it repaired, they'd have to send it to Manila. I had the impression that he was subtly hinting that I should just have it fixed at some cellphone repair shop here. I'm still thinking about this though, cos my phone is still under warranty, and it's such a waste not to use that.

It was almost 4pm when I left the mall and went to Divisoria. What I really needed to do today was to complete the requirements for my Philhealth Accreditation as physician, yet I went malling instead. *bonks self* It was already raining by then, and since I didn't bring an umbrella and was running against time, so I ended up getting a bit drizzled. I went to a random law office, and had my application NOTARIZED. I don't know what that means but I paid PhP200 for it! *cries* Then I photocopied some documents before heading to the Philhealth office.

To my surprise, they were almost closed! (It was still 445pm in my watch!) I begged the guard to let me in since I was only submitting my requirements, so he said OK. I approached the officer handling accreditation, whom I've spoken with before, and the first thing she actually said to me was, "Kinsa gali ka?" (Who are you again?!) I felt weird about that since I thought it wasn't a very polite thing to say, but maybe she was in a hurry to go home cos they were already closing. I told her I was there to submit requirements for accreditation, and so she started perusing my documents. Everything was OK until she got to the last requirement which was the M15/RF1 which is like a receipt indicating that my employer has paid my Philhealth monthly dues for me. I only had March and April with me, and she specifically instructed me last time to bring the receipts for January to May.

I know it was error on my part. The lady was only doing her job. But still I felt my face turn into a frustrated scowl. After getting soaked by the rain running around Divisoria and now I have to bother our pharmacist Mam Cha AGAIN for these papers! Mam Cha handles most of the concerns in the hospital so she's always very busy, and I don't really want to disturb her anymore. Well the lady officer must've noticed my change of expression, cos she started becoming very defensive, saying that she was already being lenient and all. She added that the main office in Manila won't be that complaisant, and also something about the cashier having gone home already so nobody can receive my payment anyway, blah blah blah. I know she's right, but I was just sOoOOOOOoooOOo... pissed off at her! And I made sure she felt my annoyance.

So with my main objective for the day not met, I glumly left the Philhealth office and went to the bank to deposit some money.

Then I went to buy a buko pandan pearl shake at Orbitz to chill my flames of anger, before heading to the office of our cable company. I was going to file a complaint because we suddenly lost some of our international channels, and we were informed by my Mom's friend that the cable operator has decided to upgrade their system, and it will include a major change of channels and a major conversion fee of PhP2500! We received a notice about their upgrade but there was nothing stated there about having to pay additional fees so that's what I wanted to clarify. The customer service lady told me that they have placed running ads in various channels at various time slots, to which I promptly retorted, "BUT WE DON'T WATCH TV 24 HOURS OF THE DAY JUST TO READ YOUR MEASLY RUNNING ADS!!!" She ended up having to explain stuffs to me in a small voice because I was obviously frustrated and purposely being mean to her. It was a useless being that way though. I still couldn't get back our channels despite my show of exasperation. I actually achieved nothing. But I just really wanted to be mean. u__u

So it was around 530pm, and I needed to meet Gervie in Limketkai but due to heavy traffic, I had to take two rides. I made a stop at Gaisano Mall, and so I visited their Booksale branch and ended up buying a copy of Horton Hears A Who by Dr Seuss, one of my favorite authors from childhood. Then I went to meet Gervie, and by 6pm, we went to meet Mark in his hotel.

He was quite busy trying to prepare for the concert and entertain family and friends who dropped by to visit him. But he still made time to make chitchat with us and to even call some of our other classmates. And although he may have changed a lot, yet he somehow still retained that wacky side of his which made us laugh all throughout high school (earlier, he tried to change inside a closet! XD). So I hope we can always see that part of him.

Thanks for meeting with us today, Mark!

Gervie and I decided to further support our friend by watching Sarah Geronimo's concert, where he is a guest. So we left Mark to prepare and vocalize (or whatever it is that he does before a show), bought tickets (the cheap ones were all sold out already x___x), then had dinner at Mandarin before watching the concert. Sarah really has a nice and strong solid voice, but neither of us were her fans though. *sheepish* Her guests were: Mark Bautista, Mark Herras, Jimmy Marquez, Simon Wood and the G-Force. Billy Crawford unfortunately couldn't make it. Um... I won't go into the details anymore cos I'm already so sleepy, suffice it to say that Gervie and I somehow enjoyed the concert, but it was kinda an awkward experience for us. The show ended around 11-ish, and we took a taxi and went home. It would've been nice to have talked more with Mark but I guess we'll just have to keep in touch in some other ways (er, facebook? XD).

Yes, it cost us PhP800 each!!!

Well... I'm off to sleep now. Good night.

A VERY RIDICULOUS DAY
- a tale of mis-adventures and uber-randomness -

I had an absolutely ridiculous day today.

Last week, I texted my classmate and asked her if she has any "sideline" / "reliever" jobs for me for the month of April. Don't get me wrong. I'm actually contented and very happy with my job right now in Malaybalay Polymedic General Hospital (MPGH). But the thing is that's only a fixed schedule for 12 days, so for the rest of the month, I'm a full-pledged BUM. And when I'm BUMMING around the house all I do is sit in front of the PC from morning until the next morning (cos I tend to forget the concept of sleep when I'm glued to the PC), and so I pretty much do not accomplish much in my life except to grow fatter and fatter each day. So I'd rather be out there working, because at least I'm not "useless" (and I get paid). Besides most of my friends have 2 jobs, and so I thought it's about time I also find another job. The past few months my schedule has been filled up because my co-residents in MPGH asked me to fill in for them, but I don't think it's gonna happen again in April. And so that prompted me to text my classmate, Jen.

Jen, who's working in Don Carlos and Camiguin, told me that they have an opening come April at the Catarman District Hospital where she works. It's the slot of my other classmate, Amalyn, which falls on the last 10 days of the month. But for some reason (maybe for training or something), Amalyn is already resigning. So Jen asked me if I wanted the slot cos a lot of other moonlighting doctors would be interested in it. It's 10 straight days of duty at a primary hospital. Jen said it's totally benign and it pays really well. And whatever cases we can't handle, we simply refer to Camiguin General Hospital in Mambajao, where 8 out of 9 of their doctors are also my classmates/good friends. So she prodded me to hurry and apply.

I've actually been invited several times to work in Camiguin by my friends there in Camiguin General Hospital but I've politely declined primarily because of the travel. Camiguin Island is 2 hours by bus PLUS 1 hour by barge away from my city, Cagayan de Oro, and I simply can't imagine lugging around my ENORMOUS travelling bag to work (I really don't know why it's always so BIG and FULL and HEAVY). Plus the sked in Camiguin General Hospital is in conflict with my schedule in MPGH so I really had no choice. But in Catarman District Hospital, the 10-day straight sked is just perfect for me. But I still have the problem of travelling with my ENORMOUS bag.

So anyway, I really didn't know what to do. Part of me wanted to accept this challenge and quit yapping and just get my butt rolling to Camiguin (plus the pay is too tempting!!! XD). But part of me just wants to be a lazy bum and sit in front of the PC the whole day and night.

I ended up going anyway, and so here we begin my ridiculous tale of mis-adventures and uber-randomness...

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Last night I was really not sure if I wanted to go to Camiguin to send in my application. I had no idea what their requirements were and heck, I didn't even know to whom I should address my application letter to (I later found out that I have to address it to their Chief of Hospital and *ulp!* the Governor XD). And I realized that I didn't have any pictures so I had to bully *ahem* ask my sleepy boyfriend if he can please scan my picture and please atttach it to my resume and please email it to me. Good thing I have the most wonderful person in the world as my boyfriend who immediately came to my rescue. (Thank you suoh...<3 *hugglez*)

So I was supposed to wake up early (target time to leave was 5am) but I woke up at 7:30am already. I was greatly distressed and frustrated and had tears in my eyes and I was tempted to just give up since it was already so late, but I convinced myself to still go. After taking a bath and hurriedly dumping random stuffs in my bag, I left the house at some minutes past 8am and went to buy a clear folder and a Jollibee burger meal. I also went to have my resume/application letter printed at Kopya de Oro where I had to pay a whopping 50 bucks for FOUR MEASLY PAGES (I totally went, WTF!?! 0__o). I was already so late so I didn't complain anymore but I swear to God I will never print my documents in Kopya de Oro ever again.

Then I took a taxi and went to the bus terminal. It was already 9am when I went to the aircon bus bound for Butuan City but it was already full (WHAT!?! 0__o). But the driver said I can sit in the "extension" which is a foldable chair adjacent to the driver's seat. It was comfortable enough so I didn't mind. What made me dumbfounded though was the fact that the bus was already so full yet more people were still willing to ride in it, not minding if they sit on the floor or stand up for more than an hour. I was glad though that I got a seat. As the bus was leaving, I saw tensai queuing for the next bus, and he saw me too so I texted him and asked him where he was going and he said he was also bound for Camiguin. Cool.

I ate my Jollibee burger meal, and then for the next two hours, with my mp3 player in my ear, I dozed off in the bus until I reached Balingoan. The conductor, by the way, deliberately did not give me my ten peso-change which irked me a little but I didn't want to argue with him anymore because the bus was so full of "extra" people. So when I got off the terminal, I flagged a motorsikad (a motorcycle with a side car) to drive me to the port. But because I was the only passenger, the driver asked me transfer to a trisikad (bicycle with a side car) instead. I was quite horrified, but I didn't want to waste time anymore so I just complied. I arrived at the port around 11:15am.

To my delight, the barge arrived around 11:30am, and I was one of the first passengers to board it. My delight was short-lived however, when I learned that the ship's captain/driver and staff were having a lunch break, so I was stuck there wasting time and imagining the possibility of being stranded in Camiguin for the night without any extra clothes (and without a toothbrush). I thought that in case I do get stranded there then I have to beg my friends to adopt me for the night and let me sleep in their hospital quarters. It was a miserable possibility but at least I already had a solution in my mind.

It was already 1pm when we left the port! And I arrived in Camiguin at exactly 2pm. In fact, because of the delay, tensai was able to catch up and was riding the same barge. I talked with him for a while before leaving the boat.


So Camiguin is an island province which is filled with exotic tourist spots and resorts. I've been there twice before but I was with family and friends and we had guides. This time I went alone. I felt really mature although I was also quite afraid cos I might get lost or duped. But thank GOD, nothing bad like that happened. When I got off the barge, I took the van to Mambajao and the driver was nice enough to drop me off the hospital (well, it was pretty much along the highway so I guess that was his normal route...).

So I went to Camiguin General Hospital in Mambajao because my friends told me that I have to meet Dr Beja, who's the Chief of Hospital in Camiguin. But the hospital I'm applying for is a smaller institution located in Catarman, which I think is on the other side of the island. I called up my friend Janine, who was on duty that time at the Outpatient Department, and she took me to Dr Beja's office but he wasn't there. So I was told to wait. I was also told that the governor was also not around that time, and I need to be introduced to him (wow, I've never been introduced to a governor before...) because his approval would also mean the approval of my paycheck (ehehehe... ^o^;). Well, he wasn't around so I didn't have a choice so I just told them that I'll just meet him again next time. For now I want to at least meet Dr Beja. Their staff also gave me a list of the required documents, which to my horror, was quite a long list. It included stuffs like neuro-pyschiatric exam, drug test, NBI clearance, etc etc... I felt a bit annoyed because there were too many requirements, but I guess that's SOP when you're applying for work.

By the way, this is actually the first REAL job application I've ever done. And it's a job in a government institution to boot. XD

I waited for Dr Beja but I never saw him. By 4:30pm, I told Janine that I could wait no longer cos I might miss the last trip home. I initially planned to visit the hospital in Catarman where I plan to work but I guess I'll just do that the next time I'll go back there (which I think will be on April 20. Then I'll start working on the 21st... hehehe). I really have no idea what I got myself into. XD

So Janine gave me instructions on how to get back to the port, and she told me to ride a van, but there was no van in sight. I panicked a bit but I asked for directions and I was led to a jeepney, which was already full so I had to sit on the "extension" which is a bench in the middle of the jeep. I felt quite ridiculous again, but I just went with it. I reached the port around 5:15pm, and took some pictures with my crappy phone camera. XD






Before I got on the boat, I went to a pay toilet because I really needed to pee. It costs PhP3.00, hehehe Then I bought a bottle of Nestea because I realized that I was so hungry already. I boarded the barge around 5:30pm and they told me that it was scheduled to leave by 6pm. I took a seat in the far end of the boat and in a semi-open area where I could feel the sea wind in my face. A lady vendor sold me some snacks and I bought a pack of Funky. The vendor sat beside me and so I conversed with her for a while and learned that she's already 73 years old (but she doesn't look old at all!) and that she recently had a sebaceous cyst removed from her right hand for free at the Camiguin General Hospital. We talked for a while about various things and then she thanked me and eventually left. I realized again that I like talking to old people, and given the opportunity I might take up training in Geriatrics, except that we really don't need that in our country (and I don't think I would earn well XD).

So I waited for the barge to leave and it was almost 6:30pm when they sounded the horn and the boat started moving. The sea was pitch black, and I thought it was cool but scary. I don't know how to swim so I probably won't survive if someone will throw me down there. Oh, and the wind was so freezing cold, it made my feet numb. I dozed off again for almost an hour and woke up just in time to see the barge trying to dock in the port of Balingoan.

It was already 7:30pm. I hurriedly went down and was one of the first passengers to get off the boat. I hailed a *gack!* trisikad again which took me to the bus terminal, but I was mortified to see that it was deserted. And the highway was kinda dark. I looked around and saw some people waiting along the highway, near a bakery, so I also stood there with them. I was actually already quite nervous but I tried not to let it show. There were a lot of offers for a ride to CDO via a car, a multicab, etc but I refused all of those because I do not trust those kinds of transportation. I've read too much psycho stories about gory murder cases, serial killers and kidnappers who make their victims as sex slaves and deep down I was thinking that that particular eerie and semi-deserted place was a perfect spot for one of those heinous crimes. I chose to just shut off my over-reactive imagination and say a silent prayer for protection. And to distract myself, I bought some hot monay bread and a bottle of water.


I was already so hungry and I just hope that this bread from an unknown bakery does not contain Salmonella. XD

Finally a bus bound for Cagayan appeared and all of us waved for it to stop. I was disappointed to see that it was a non-aircon bus but I didn't care anymore. When I boarded the bus and took the first seat that I saw, I was horrified to note that the entire bus reeked of stinky armpits and sweat and really really bad body odor. I tried to suppress a gag and wished that someone would just please open a window but I was trapped in that horrible vacuum. I thought I was going to suffocate.

The bus stopped for a while in an eatery because the driver and some passengers had to eat dinner, and I noticed an aircon bus pull over next to us, and I was so tempted to transfer to it. But I already paid my fare (which by the way is PhP70 cheaper than an aircon bus!) and I was deliberating if there is still a seat for me since the aircon bus looked full. I decided not to transfer and just cover my nose and try not to breathe so much. I held on to my bag and eventually dozed off.

I woke up several times because of the crampy space and because of the noise. There was a time when several (around five of them) bus inspectors boarded the bus to check our tickets because apparently the conductor failed to issue one ticket and they cannot balance their account. The inspectors caused quite a ruckus since the bus was already so full and their presence was making the bus more cramped and smelly (yes, they stink too...). They eventually got off. I dozed off once again, and then I woke up to find that we stopped in the middle of nowhere, and our bus driver was not behind the wheels but was walking down the street, yelling at some person. I don't know if it was another bus personnel/inspector he was shouting at, but they were obviously in a heated argument. I shook my head and couldn't imagine that something like that was actually happening when I was already in a hurry to go home. The driver eventually got back to his seat and speeded like a madman. I held on to my seat because I didn't want to die yet. I just wanted to go home safely but all these ridiculous things were happening to me.

We eventually reached the CDO bus terminal "alive", and I got off the bus, hailed a taxi and at 10:15pm, I finally arrived home in one piece.

Thank God that I lived to tell this ridiculous story!
I hope something like this will never happen again.