Nursecissism

Finally renewed my domain, Nursecissism (too selfish to give it away!) which is actually inactive. Months before, I planned to make it a “full time” Nursing blog. Like a Nursing interactive blog… but I don’t have some people to work with me and also little time to work on the site.

While we were on our seminar this morning, I realized that I really have to make that happen. That interactive blog will consist of the following:

• featured case studies


• drug study


• true hospital stories


• research and new trends in Nursing


• forum for nurses

If you plan to be part of the Nursecissism team, please contact me at xyladevera@gmail.com. Send me your resume and an article (tagalog or english).

I need nurse bloggers and nurse webmasters/designers.

I accept nursing students and registered nurses, working or non working.

Thanks!

 

Monday, please!

This is my first time to get excited about Monday. It's my first pay day! Finally, I'll be getting my salary for my one and a half month of work as staff nurse!

If you have a family of your own, I don't think the money is enough to suffice your needs. I sometimes wonder how my senior nurses survived that kind of pay when they have kids to send to school and to feed. They probably have to budget the money properly and very tightly.

And as for me who thinks I need a lot when in real life they are all just unnecessary wants, I need to learn how to control.

Anyway, say hello to my new layout.



 

I don't like it but let's all deal with it for now.

Patch Adams

I'm currently watching this film to get an inspiration for my thesis. You probably now have an idea about my topic. :)

See what no one else sees...

See what everyone else chooses not to see out of fear and conformity and laziness

See the whole world anew each day.

No, I am not going to post a review since I am still watching it (took a break to blog). I was just inspired by the last line in that scene. See the whole world anew each day. Win or lose, life must go on. Thank you guys for supporting me in the 2010 Philippine Blog Awards. I know I will not win again because I don't have a big fan base but that's okay... Like what I posted on my Facebook and Twitter account, I will continue blogging silently with a bang. :)

Why I deserve to win the Reader's Choice for the 2010 Philippine Blog Awards?

First of all, these are some of the reasons why some people think  I don't deserve to win/ I will not win in this category:

• I am not a grammar Nazi.


• I don't regularly blog.


• My topics hop from one issue/personal thought to another.


• I don't possess any "Pinoy-ness" in this blog.

Why I think I deserve to win:

• I blog about my daily experiences with lessons that I can share with  people who don't normally experience those things. Did you ever think that just crossing the street can teach you a life lesson? *sob sob*


• I have opened the mind of some readers about the life of a Filipino nurse. What did you think of nurses before you read this blog?


• I encourage people to love and appreciate their lives no matter how many obstacles they encounter.


• So yeah, my posts can attract readers to go back to this blog from time to time.

Because I don't have a humongous fan base in the blogosphere, I, Xyla De Vera, a Filipina registered nurse, a struggling (lol!!) volunteer nurse, a graduating MA (in Nursing) student, a future clinical instructor-slash-nurse mentor and an unpopular blogger, am asking you, people who believe in me, to help me win this category. Now that was a long sentence. Grammar Nazis, shoot me.

Please follow the instructions:

1. Like the Philippine Blog Awards Facebook Fan Page.

2. Then go to this link, and like my blog.

Voting ends at 11:59 PM of December 11, 2010. The Awards night will be held on December 12, 2010.  Thank you in advance!

First Post in whatxylasaid.com

Finally, my blog is up! After gazillion years of waiting, complaining and ranting, my domain is now activated.

So I would like to welcome everyone to my new personal blog, whatxylasaid.com. I decided to create one because I made my nursecissism blog a themed one which made me post only the things related to my nursing life. And because I am in and out of the nursing world, I don't get to post regularly. In this blog, I can post anything without being limited to nursing topics or to my nursing life. I actually made a personal blog before on Tumblr but I deleted it for some reasons.

Another thing, my layout is very minimalistic for now. I actually have this concept in mind but I can't make it work. I don't know why.

God, I miss blogging for real! And I am so glad to be back in the real blogging world.

Blog Plans

As you may have noticed, my presence in this blog is quite unpredictable. When I am on a hospital exposure, I am active in writing. When I am not, I'm nowhere to be found. So I decided that this will probably ((I added PROBABLY because I might change my plans again! I'm a girl, okay?! LOL!)) be the last year of nursecissism.com ((as my personal nursing blog)) - which reminds me that I have a debt to pay! The reason why I blog occasionally here is that this is a themed blog: all about nursing stuff and whatnot. So, I posted more in a tumblelog I called my "personal" blog about the things I do everyday.

Now, my blog plans are:

• pay this domain first! (Sorry, bru! I forgot!)


• then buy a domain (I need domain name suggestions!)


• maintain nursecissism.com because I want to and turn this into a blog where nursing stuff, news, job openings, and the like are posted


• leave the personal tumblelog and turn it to a random thingo

There. What do you think? Are my blog plans better than what I currently have?

2010 Candy Teen Blog Awards

While I was talking to my boyfriend over the phone, I received an e-mail from Candymag.com saying that someone nominated me in the 2010 Candy Teen Blog Awards.



I am deeply flattered by this because after all these years, you still believe in me and in my blog. BUT...

I already won two years ago (People's Choice category). Last year, I didn't join because I didn't want to and no one nominated me (Haha! No, I am not sad about it. I'm just stating a fact, okay?). Now, as much as I want to give respect to the person who nominated me, I don't think I can do this anymore. No, I take it back. I can do it but I want to give others the chance to win. At first, I placed the digital sticker on my sidebar... but I had second thoughts about it. So yeah, I removed it an hour after. I know that there are other teen bloggers who deserve to win. I am not a teen anymore, guys and girls. But still, I thank you for the nomination. I really, really appreciate it.

Good luck, teen bloggers!

When June comes in...

Whenever the month of June arrives, I always feel excited about celebrating my birthday. My birthday is on July but I do get enthusiastic as early as June. But now, I don't know. The excitement suddenly turned into pressure. I'm turning 25 this year and I feel pressured about getting older.

When I was in high school and in college, I saw myself as a successful lady at the age of 25. I saw myself travelling and filling my closet with branded clothes and shoes. What happened? Why am I still here? Why am I still the old Xyla who dreams of becoming successful? Nothing changed. Nothing really changed.

In 5 years, I'm going to be 30 years old. And no, I won't let myself stay this way in 5 years. I have to do something. I really have to. Well actually, I know I am doing something. Maybe it's not really my time yet. But... when is really my time? I'm getting impatient!

On the lighter note, as part of growing up (LOL! Why did I just say this now?), I think I am already done with my digital scrapbooked layout phase. I suddenly fancy minimalistic themes for blogs. I have suddenly outgrown some kiddie stuff I fancy. Maybe I am really getting older. And... I just realized... maybe the pressure of getting older is normally part of the young adulthood stage.

Uhh. This entry is non-sense. I just wanted to say I have a new layout after a year.

Never a Loser.

I didn't win in the Philippine Blog Awards 2009. I was a finalist in 4 different categories but I didn't grab a single award... But it is OKAY. No hard feelings. Charge to experience, as they say. :)

There are 3 reasons why I am still happy:
1. It was my first time to attend an awards night. I felt left out though because most of the bloggers know each other but it's okay. I met some accommodating ones. :)
2. Andy Smith of Qtube, who is so damn hot, put his arms over my shoulder when we had our picture taken. Haha! I was so giddy! He's really nice and friendly. Yiee. Thanks, Andy. You're now included in my list of  celebrity crushes. Haha!
3. TJ was there to support me. Even though he's tired from his work (Yay for being hired!), he managed to travel from Makati to Quezon City to be there for me, to lift my spirits up, to hold my hands while I was nervous about the announcement of the winners and to make me happy in that unforgettable night. I thought he couldn't make it but he did. Thank you so much, love. Like what I said in my Tumblr entry, I may not have won in the competition but I still got my trophy and it's him. Well, the trophy idea came from Gervic, his bestfriend. Haha!

For me, not winning in this competition does NOT make me a loser. When I failed the NCLEX, I thought that I didn't only fail the test but also the people who expected so much from me. I learned a lot from that experience. So now, even though I didn't grab a single award, I know that I never failed anyone who expected me to win in this event. Being a finalist is already an achievement. There are so many Filipino bloggers around the world and my blog was  chosen to be one of the finalists - and that makes me oh-so lucky. As other people say, "better luck next time". This isn't my time yet. Maybe next year or maybe 2 years from now... We really do not know. What matters is that I have my family, TJ, friends and other supporters who believe in me. And that makes me a winner in their hearts. :)

P.S.

My blog was mispronounced twice. They pronounced it as nurse-cism. Let me clear that out... It's like NARCISSISM. Just replace NAR with NURSE. :)

4 Categories

Okay, so I've been plugging my blog for the past few days but I never really blogged about my feelings toward this competition especially now that I am included in 4 Categories: Best Personal Blog, National Blogger's Choice, Flippish Viewer's Choice and Top Ten Posts of the Year.

Honestly, I am anxious, flattered and excited at the same time. Of course, anxiety is always present in a competition. I feel anxious because I feel that I have this small chance of winning. My opponents are big timers and blog experts while I am  just a mere unemployed nurse who happen to have an interest in blogging, webdesigns, HTML and whatnot. You see, I really, really want to win in this blog awards because like what I said in my September 14 entry this is like a big thing for me as a small-time blogger. I didn't join this contest to be popular. The fact that I am seeing people in my web tracker google-ing  my name really scares the hell out of me. I actually hesitated in plugging my blog in Facebook because I really do not like my offline friends reading my blog. Unfortunately, I had to plug it because I want to win. I don't want to be hypocrite here. Who doesn't want to win in a competition like this?

Why do I feel flattered? When I asked for support in the National Blogger's Choice category, that's the time I discovered how I was able to leave a mark in my readers' hearts. I read touching entries  that made me teary-eyed. I can not believe this kind of support from them. I thought they were just doing this because I asked them to. I feel that just by reading their entries makes me a winner... maybe not in this competition but in my readers' hearts. Naks! I am so overwhelmed. I don't know how to thank them! I feel that saying thank you is not enough.

Of course, I feel excited because I am going to meet bloggers and attend an awards night for the first time. Win or lose, this is a great experience.  The mere fact that I was included as a finalist in those 4 categories is an achievement.

Win or lose, I would still continue what I am doing because this is what my heart and mind tell me to do. This is what I love doing. This is where I feel such fulfillment. This is where I get to express myself. And this is how I get to achieve my goal, to be able to inspire others in my own simple way.

Now, what should I wear on Friday? Hmmm...

Nursecissism FTW!

My Vote for the 2009 Bloggers' Choice Award (National)

I vote for NURSECISSISM
Bloggers' Choice Award
2009 Philippine Blog Awards

Of course, I am voting for myself (if this is allowed. Haha!) I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the bloggers and non-bloggers who supported and voted for me in this competition. I feel so flattered and deeply touched with all the entries that I have read as to why Nursecissism is their choice. Win or lose, I would still continue doing this not to please you but because I am happy with what I am writing and doing. I may not be a fluent English writer, I may have wrong grammar or misspelled words but I guess the reason why I deserve to win in those 3 categories (Best Personal Blog, National Blogger's Choice Award and Flippish Viewer's Choice Award) is because I put all my heart and soul in this blog.

Addendum:
I just found out that I am also a finalist in the Top 10 Posts of the Year. Wow. A total of 4 categories!
Now for the Flippish Viewer's Choice, you can vote for me here. Choose NURSECISSISM, fill up the form and you'll get a chance to win a Nokia 2330 classic. :)

PLEASE SUPPORT AND VOTE FOR MY BLOG.

After publishing the entry, cast your vote HERE.

Thank you. You can re-blog this for more support!

Here’s the url of my blog: http://nursecissism.com. Linking this back in your entry would be much better. :)

Here’s the Philippine Blog Awards website: http://www.philippineblogawards.com.ph/

Blogger's Choice

Last year, my blog NURSECISSISM won in the People' Choice category in the 2008 Candy Teen Blog Awards. It was an overwhelming experience because that's the time I felt appreciated by those people who read and visit my blog. Before and until now, I don't blog just to be appreciated, to get popular, or to be this so-called celebrity blogger. As you can see, I only have few visitors everyday or none at all which is not really a big deal for me. What matters is that I get to express myself and share my experiences, whether they are good or bad, in the world wide web. Receiving comments that my posts inspire my readers is one of the greatest feelings in the world. I feel that in my own way of blogging, I am/was able to touch people's lives.

Now, I am joining the Blogger's Choice category for the 2009 Philippine Blog Awards. Okay, I am not a famous blogger and I don't have this assurance that I would win this category... But I decided to try. There's no harm in trying, right? To tell you honestly, I don't have this particular reason why I intend to join this category. Maybe because I just wanted to step up to the next level. You see, Philippine Blog Awards is Philippine Blog Awards. I used to "dream" to be part of this competition and you don't know how I felt when I received their email that I am an official nominee for the Best Personal Blog category. Yeah, my blog has been nominated for the past 2 years in the Candy Teen Blog Awards. But being part of this competition is different. Well, that's just my opinion. I'm a shallow person. I know. Haha! Or maybe, at the back of my mind, I wanted to join this competition because I want to prove something in the cyberspace. I want to prove that a small-time blogger like me has what it takes to be awarded as the Blogger's Choice. I feel like I am David joining a tough competition and trying to beat the Goliaths. Well, if David beat Goliath, why can't I? ;)

So there... I feel like this post is non-sense but I do hope you get what I am trying to point out. If I win this category or even the Best Personal Blog category, it would be a great achievement in my blogging life. BUT if I win, I don't want to be known as someone who just won the category because of many supporters/voters... I want those people to know me as a blogger who motivated and moved them in my own simple way that made them vote for me. =)

Best Wordpress Design Award

After almost a year, I am joining another blog contest. It is the Best Wordpress Design Award hosted by the WPWebhost. I saw it in other blogs I have visited and I thought of joining this contest as well. I never joined any layout design contest before so this is the first time that my blog's layout will be judged. The prize would be whooping 200$ which isn't bad for a contest, right?

There are five different categories:

• Best Clean & Minimalist


• Best Retro & Vintage


• Best Grunge


• Best Hand-Drawing Style


• Best Modern & Elegant

I actually do not know what's the right category for my blog. It is clean but it is not considered minimalist since my blog is full of designs. Haha! It isn't retro-ish nor grungy. I don't think it would best fit in the hand-drawing style category. So what's left? Best Modern and Elegant. Haha! I don't know if this blog would be called elegant but I consider Digital Scrapbooking design as modern. What do you think?

Anyway, I hope I'll win because I am in dire need of cash!! Haha! But if I lose, charge it to experience. :)

By the way, if you want to join, hurry up! The deadline of submission of entries is on March 22.

Wish me luck! Aja nursecissism!

Reasons...

We always say that everything happens for a reason. Yes, that is true. I certainly believe in that.

There must be a reason why my fate didn't happen like that of a 2-month-old child who died out of milk aspiration when we were still in the emergency room. There must be a reason why God took his life at a very early time. There must be a reason why He didn't answer the weeping mother's prayer.  He must have answered it but not the way she liked it to be answered.

There must be a reason why I survived from milk aspiration.

I was only days old when I suffered from aspiration as well. I am my mom's first child and because of lack of health teaching, she didn't know that it is not right to feed a baby while lying on bed. Good thing, my grandmother saw me. I was already literally blue - cyanotic. I already lacked oxygen. I was about to die. Thanks to my grandmother who was alert and knew what to do. Thanks to the doctors and nurses who attended on my emergency needs. And thanks to God for giving me a rocky yet wonderful life to live.

You know, I wasn't able to control my tears when the baby didn't make it. I cried. I really cried. I pity the baby. I also pity the mother. But like what everyone is saying, everything has a purpose. We may not know it for now but I am sure, we will understand it at the right time.

---

I have a new layout. New layout for summer and my NURSECISSISM.COM blog's first anniversary on March 25. I have been working on this since forever and I just finished it now. Haha! Thanks to Shabbyprincess for the embellishments. Please check my resources page for the other sites.

Like Dreamers Do

Ever had a dream guy or girl? That person you've been waiting for every single day of your life? Well, I assume that everybody has. I mean, everybody wants to be with someone that they would love forever - whether that person is their ideal guy/girl or not. I believe, and I think you would agree, that your ideal guy/girl is different from your dream guy/girl. I think that a person is more likely to fall inlove with his/her dream guy/girl than his ideal guy/girl. For me, an ideal person is just too perfect because you set standards for that person. You want something like this and that for that person you want to be with. I don't think it would make a relationship healthy if both parties are perfect. You get what I mean?

TJ, my boyfriend, is not my ideal guy. And he would never ever be my ideal guy. Haha! I'm so mean. He's just the opposite of who I am. He's a funny (well, I guess I am funny in my own way!), naughty, and stubborn guy. I once told him that if ever we were classmates in college, I don't think I'd let him court me nor pass as my boyfriend. But despite those negative traits he has, he never fails to make me fall inlove over and over again. Thus, he passed the are-you-Xyla's-dream-guy test.

Anyways, I really don't want to be mushy in this entire entry. I just want to introduce to you my new website, likedreamersdo.org. (PLEASE VISIT!) Haha! What a segue, I know! I got the domain from the song, Like Dreamers Do by The Beatles. Like what I've said there in my first entry, I fell inlove with the lyrics and the meaning behind though the melody is retro-ish.

Well, I guess dreams really come true - whether in love or life. You just have to have faith in them.

Private Blog

I made a private blog. I am sure that at least one of my loyal readers or friends would say, "What? Another blog again? Aren't you tired of creating blogs?!" Haha. I know. Wait, let me reckon...

I now have three blogs: this blog, Alapaap (my tagalog-slash-humor blog), and my private blog that I just created a while ago. No, wait. Next week, my 4th blog will be born. It's actually a portfolio blog for my digiscraps. I also want to put some freebies and tutorials there. So, yeah. 4 blogs all in all.

Why did I decide to blog in private?

Well, basically I need some privacy. Yeah. That's it. Plain and simple.

Whenever I check my site stats, I always see a referrer link, or whatever you call it, from Google. I always see in my stats that there are some or quite a few people searching for my name. I am not saying this to brag like I am popular or what. I don't even consider myself as one. I am blogging about this because this bothered me.

I decided to make a private blog because I don't want to put my too-personal-to-broadcast-to-the-whole-wide-world details of my life anymore, like what I just plurked ((I bet this will be included in the Webster's dictionary soon!)) earlier. I think I'll just let it read to people who really know me that well. You get what I mean?

Untitled

Guess what? My aunt called my mom this morning about this hospital in Laguna. She told my mom that she can recommend me to volunteer in the said hospital. That's a great news, right? That's much closer to Metro Manila. As far as I know, it's 2 hours away from our house. I can go home anytime I want. Hehe!

Another update: I already received the books from Summit Media. I'll read Every Girl's Guide to Heartache first after logging out. Yay! Thanks to Summit Media for the free books.

Anyways, that's all. My blog is already fixed, as you can see. And oh, please welcome my hostee: Teena. Apparently, her mom is also from the De Vera clan. I'll ask my dad later if we're relatives! Hihi!