Sometimes, it is an irony to be living in a country that
offers customer service to foreigners via phone but sucks in providing quality
service to its fellow men. My hubby and
I recently had this experience in Bacolod recently. Our internet connection had a problem for a
week and we have been calling the PLDT Customer Service for like a decade and
the agents just told us to wait for the technician to check our connection. So we waited for 3 days and finally, he came but
unfortunately he wasn’t able to fix the problem. Since my hubby is working online, internet is
really a vital part of our everyday life. We decided to have another internet
connection since we shared from my aunt’s internet line. Hubby and I went to PLDT office to pay for
the new line, he already got a number to the payment window but he wanted to
ask something from the customer care desk.
He asked the guard for another number but the guard got irritated and told
hubby that he should have asked the internet agent before he decided to apply
for a new line. So, my hubby was
annoyed, I heard what the guard said so I intervened and told him that it was
better to ask something first before paying because if there was a problem, we
can still cancel it. With a grumpy face,
he finally gave us a number. My hubby
finally had his chance to ask the customer care representative, but she was
also not in the mood that time. She
acted arrogant and irritated, so hubby told her that she shouldn’t be in that
position if she’s acting this way.
Maybe, she was surprised with that comment so she did what she had to
do. It was an infuriating experience
because we didn’t expect it to be this way.
PLDT is one of the largest companies in the Philippines and it should be
a benchmark in giving quality service to its customers. It is sad to know that people working in
customer care take their job for granted.
Please do remember, without customers, you won’t be having that
job. We ended our day in Mcdonalds where
we had ice cream to cool our temper. I
do hope, I won’t meet these kinds of people again.
I thought being a mom is easy, but I
was wrong. I decided to stop working in
Riyadh because of my daughter. I wasn’t able to spend most of my time with her
for two years and I really regretted it.
She smiled shyly and hesitated to hug me the first time she saw me in
the airport. But as soon as she saw her
dad, she jumped with excitement. I admitted, I was so jealous that time. She didn’t even want me to carry her because
she said she’s heavy. So I accepted her
reason. But as days passed, I even regretted
more why I left her on the most delicate days of her childhood. She would always call daddy if she needed something. She wanted daddy to give her a bath, change her clothes, comb her hair and others. I just sat there watching them hugging and tickling
each other while we fought most of the time.
She always cried if I reprimanded her and I told my hubby he made my
daughter a spoiled brat but honestly, I was just frustrated. For two weeks, my daughter and I had this
love-hate relationship. I don’t want us
to fight everyday so I changed my strategies.
I tried to be with her without her daddy. We studied, sang, danced or even played
temple run together. While daddy was
busy working, we would rumble in bed as I tickled her until she laughed her
heart out. We even took a bath together
and she scrubbed my face with soap. I
let her washed her clothes while I am doing the laundry or put the vegetables
in the pot while I am cooking. These are
small things but paid a lot. Nowadays,
she usually says “I love you” first and gives me with small kisses. My heart is really overjoyed. Now, I am
starting to work again. Though, I am not
earning as much as I was before but I have never been happy like this.
Mikka and Me :)
To my dear friend Jarmie, who is a very
dedicated mom to Mavi, my sister in law Mariton, who is a loving mom to Travis,
my Aunt Tess and Aunt Jo who devoted themselves in serving their family, I salute all of you. And to those mothers who spend their time
away from their family, I believe that God will someday grant the deepest
desires in your heart. I have been in your situation and I know how hard it is to be far from the ones you loved. To y best friend Sefa and Jared, in God's perfect time, both of you will be reunited.
Nothing in life is constant, all things evolve and change. It has been two years since I stepped foot in Riyadh and worked as a NICU nurse. It was my first experience working in a foreign country and got really scared of the thought of serving other nationalities. It was hard for me at first, being away from my family and friends, but I was able to overcome all the challenges with the help of my colleagues and new-found friends. The two years I have spent in this place is truly worthwhile. I just didn’t gain vital knowledge in my career, but I also learned a lot of things about myself.
Saying goodbye is always the hardest thing. I have mixed emotions during our Maasallamah Party, I cried because I will definitely miss working in NICU. I will miss waking up in the morning and preparing myself for work. I am going to miss riding the bus with the unpleasant-smelling driver whose scent and driving skills give me a groggy and nauseated feeling. The crazy and fun endorsement time like a market place is definitely on my miss-list.
I took some pictures of the things I will miss in the unit.
First, this file cabinet that has been part of my everyday life in NICU. It has been redesigned by my diligent and artistic co-workers every 2 to 3 months. I also did one in external before but it didn’t last long. Anyways, nothing last long in NICU J
Secondly, the ventilator and cardiac monitor that gave me headache and tested my patience. The ventilator that is always alarming with VT low, VT high, MV low, MV high and others. Sometimes, it could have given me a heart attack knowing that something happened to my patient. While the alarm for this monitor is likened to a fire alarm. It won’t stop even though the vital signs of the patient is already normal. The worst thing is that I can still hear these alarms in my sleep. I, sometimes, woke up wonder-struck with palpitation because I thought my phone was alarming. I do believe now that alarms are the nurse worst nightmare.
Third, the nurse’s notes and all the papers that need to be filled. I like doing bedside care but I am not enthusiastic in writing it especially if I have 3 or 4 babies to take care. Not just the nurses’ files that I dreaded the most, but all things that involve writing, photocopying medication, IVF and TPN sheet and printing of invoices and xrays or lab tests request. Though, I will miss writing in this notes but I really do hope that my next workplace would provide each nurses with laptop to enter patient’s data.
Fourth, I will miss my colleagues who made my life fun and memorable in KSA. Everybody knows that Saudi Arabia is a strict country. My life here is a cycle of work-home. I found comfort and fun bonding with them while working and partying. I am grateful to have known all of them. NICU BB Gelz will always have a special place in my heart. Ms. Rasha, my head nurse, has been nice to me from the start. I will definitely miss her smile and angelic face. Ms. Nour, my charge nurse, who is cool and approachable. I will miss her smoky eyes with those gorgeous eye shadows. Ms. Rose Ann Aguinaldo, my favorite team leader, who always helps me in everything that I asked. I will miss Dr. Mustafa and Dr. Jasim’s rounds. I hope I will meet a clever consultant like them.
Lastly, I will surely miss taking care of these small, fragile and cute babies. Though it is very tiring to take care of them but it is rewarding to see the smile on their faces when they are satiated and comfortable. It is makes my heart fonder to see the joy in their parents’ faces. A simple thank you from the my patient’s folks makes me happy and inspired. I love my patients like my own. I will miss baby saleha (my mikka) and baby khaldah (the last patient I have for 1 month). I hope they will survive or if not they will be my little angels.
To my NICU family, thank you for this 2-year memorable, worthwhile and fun experience. My deepest and sincerest gratitude to all of you.
April 1st is known widely as April Fools Day when everyone is playing all kinds of jokes and foolishness toward each other. In Philippines, April Fools is celebrated on December 28. I don’t know the exact reason for this but when I was young I always received pranks and jokes from my family and friends. There was a time when my uncle wanted to show me his new magic trick. He gave me an empty matchbox. He said if I made a sign of the cross on my face using the matchboxes’ side, it will be filled with matchsticks. Eager as I was, I did what he said and later on he gave me a mirror. There was a big black cross on my entire face. My uncle and cousins laughed their ass off. I just stood there frowning and annoyed. During Christmas season, when someone asked about their present , it is a common answer that he or she will receive it on December 28. So if your godfather or godmother told you this, don’t ever bother to expect anything.
But April 1st is never an April Fools Day between me and my hubby. Seven years ago I accepted his proposal to be my boyfriend. We never really had that so-called Filipino traditional courtship since we were friends. I got to know him when we were group mates in nursing days. He was friendly, helpful and a gentleman. One time, I asked him about the song Love Moves in Mysterious Ways. The following day he gave me a copy of the song and sang it. It followed by another song Raise your Voice and so on. I didn’t mind it at first but I noticed that he learned the songs that I liked besides he was a self proclaimed rocker J As time passed by, he watched my favorite soap operas and romcom movies. He got more interested on the things that I liked. So we became much closer and I realized that I was falling in love with him. On this day, I didn’t just find a boyfriend but also a best friend.
To my dear B or Mr. M or boy siopao J I love you and will always be. It has been 2550 days since we’ve been in each other’s lives. I couldn’t imagine life without you. We have been through a lot and I thank God for guiding our relationship. Mikka and I are so lucky to have you. I can’t wait for little Migui to arrive J He will come, in God’s perfect time.
Cooking was not my interest while growing up. I never bothered to visit the kitchen or asked my mom her recipe. I was an eager eater. I was chubby in high school because my Aunt Tess is an excellent cook. She used to make delicious food for my lunch and my classmates were happy to share it. I never liked the cooking module in Home Economics. I was impatient in peeling potatoes, disgusted with the smell of garlic in my fingers and crying while chopping onions. I remembered the engineering days when Sef, Arni and I cooked the canned corned beef. It was burnt but we ate it anyway because we didn’t have a choice. And then I got married, hubby and I left our homes and stayed in one house. I will never ever forget the first time I cooked pork menudo, I asked him if it was delicious and he said yes. Hubby was so gracious and loving that he didn’t want to hurt my feelings but he wasn’t able to resist asking me if I put sugar in it. Of course I didn’t, how could I have known. From that time, I decided to embrace cooking. I was so lucky because I was surrounded by good cooks. My mom, aunts and mother-in-law were my teachers. On the process, I cut my fingers several times and hit by hot cooking oil on the face. I started learning simple recipes like adobo, pancit, ground beef with petchay and tinolang manok among others. Then I started to invite my friends to dine in our house. I was happy to hear their praises about my culinary skill J All the sacrifices I have made were paid off big time.
Then came my new adventure in Riyadh. The hospital provided our accommodation which is furnished with appliances. I never tried baking and it was time for me to do it not to mention the prices of goods here are cheap and electricity is free. I started making chocolate cake, it wasn’t successful at first. But I tried harder until I got the perfect texture and taste. I also learned to make the chocolate icing which my flatmates really liked. For two years, I can say that I have improved my cooking abilities. I am proud of myself for this small accomplishment. I am even planning to have my own restaurant or catering service in the future. I love to cook and it makes me happy every time I do it J
It has been two months since I wrote my last entry. I was busy preparing for something and my duty schedule was very hectic. Having 19 duties in the past months burned me out most of the time. But I am counting the remaining days I have left and making the most out of it. Recently, I went to my friend’s wedding which was held in esteraha (Arabic for function hall with swimming pool). She and her hubby actually got married twice, one in the Philippine Embassy and the other in a Christian Service. And they are still planning to get married in the church in Philippines this coming December J It was my first time to attend a Christian wedding and in all places here in Riyadh J The wedding was simple, subtle and meaningful. I got teary-eyed when the bride (my friend Rochelle) read her vow. She reminded me that true love and destiny do really exist. I wish them both a happy and strong marriage and may God blessed them with lots of healthy kiddos J
I also recently watched The Vow. I had great expectations with this movie due to trailers I’ve seen on facebook and youtube. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exciting nor romantic as I have expected. But what struck me was the scene when the bride read her message to her husband during their wedding. My hubby and I didn’t have this special moment during our civil wedding and how I wish we could have done this. We have been together for 7 years and so far we are still in love with each other J I am looking forward to get married with him again in front of our family and friends. And when this time comes, I know what to say. After all we have been through a lot of circumstances and surpassed it.
I was asked to have a day duty in Habib Olaya 2 days ago. I have been pulled out from NICU to work in other wards like ER and ICU when I was still a new staff due to lack of staffing and it was a new and nice experience for me. So I tried this new experience since their Maternity Hospital is one of the well-known hospitals in Riyadh. But my problem was the 30-minute travel by bus. The morning ride was pleasant because there were only few cars but the night ride was horrible due to heavy traffic and reckless drivers. While I was on the road, I listened to some songs I saved in my phone. As I was listening, I remembered my high school and college days were I was crazy about Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, Nsync and etc. I used to save my allowance to buy their albums in cassette tape. I begged my aunt to give me her walkman player and my mom gave me a cassette player as a present on my 16th birthday. I still have these tapes hidden in my closet in Philippines. My favorite group was Spice Girls, I really liked Baby Spice that time. My friends and I even watched their movie. I know it was a horrible movie, but for us, that time it was the best. I was saddened when Spice Girls broke up. For me, they are still the best girl group. So, while I was riding the bus, I kept playing Wannabe (Spice Girls), I want it that way (Backstreet boys) and God must have spent a little more time on you (Nsync) over and over again until I arrived in my destination. The 30-minute travel was not boring after all. Even in my sleep, I could still hear these songs J
SPICE GIRLS "WANNABE"
BACKSTREET BOYS "I WANT IT THAT WAY"
NSYNC "GOD MUST HAVE SPENT A LITTLE MORE TIME ON YOU"
