Trending: #CareersinNursing

Before I continue, let me share to you an experience that I had when I was hospitalized a months ago. There was this nurse who’s really kind, and he’d talk to me every time he’d go to my room. Then at one point, he asked that most awaited question, “saan ka nag-aaral?” Of course I feel a little proud to say, “UP Manila” (I was still weak because of my fever). Then he asked, “anong course mo?”. Then I instantly said, “Nursing”. You know at that point I felt excited. Because at the back of my mind he might say, “wow, talaga? Nursing ka? Tapos sa UP Manila pa? Edi matalino ka?” But NO. Instead, he replied, “Talaga? Nursing ka? O, welcome! Welcome sa mga UNEMPLOYED.” I was shocked. Shocking, but true. Right there and then, I realized that even if we are what they call the “cream of the crop”, the “iskolar ng bayan”, now that we've already graduated, we will inevitably be part of that unwanted sector of the population… the unemployed. No matter how beautiful you try to pronounce it, you’re still UNEMPLOYED... JOBLESS... UNPRODUCTIVE… SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T CONTRIBUTE TO THE WELLNESS AND DEVELOPMENT OF THIS COUNTRY. And what’s worse, until now, most of us still don't know what to do now that we've graduated and taken the nursing licensure exam. This kind nurse even asked me, “Pag ba graduate ng UP, deretso na sa PGH?” With the PGH entrance exam in mind (which unfortunately not all UPCN graduates are able to pass recently), I replied, “No”. Then he said, “Ahhh. Siguro nga. Yung mga nakakapasok lang agad dun ay yung mga ‘anak ng Diyos’.” Initially, I thought that what he was talking about are those who are super intelligent. But later did I realized that what he pertains to as “anak ng Dyos” are those who have excellent internal support system, or in layman’s term, “yung may kapit”.

Increasing number of Nursing graduates in the Philippines

I don’t know if that is true or not, but what I believe to be true is the fact that we, new graduates of nursing, will be facing a new challenge, and that is to find a job or a career. There are about 160,000 to 200,000 unemployed and underemployed registered Filipino nurses in the country, according to the Professional Regulatory Commission. And year by year, this number increases as new nursing graduates enter the workforce. Now we can say that this unemployment and underemployment in nursing is TRENDING in the Philippines.

Call Centers in the Philippines

So the question that you can ask now to your formspring and twitter friends is WHAT DO WE DO NOW? WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Well, I have a few suggestions that I can give you based on the trends that I have seen over the years. About two years ago, the Department of Labor and Employment or DOLE has observed a trend in nursing graduates wherein a huge number of them started venturing in unrelated fields specifically as call center agents. As holistic as we are, we do not find any difficulty in relating with people from all walks of life, so being a call center agent isn’t that much of a bad choice! One more, just last year, it is brought to our attention the case of forced volunteerism, wherein Non-Employee Registered Nurses work in a hospital (either government or private), with similar workloads and responsibilities of employed staff, for the premise of, but not limited to: receiving Training/Volunteer Certificates, and increased chances of being hired. They are either unpaid, insufficiently paid, or worse required to pay a fee to render Nursing services. So if you’re willing to spend a large sum of money in order to get that small chance of getting hired or having that satisfaction of making yourself believe that you’re not unemployed, then this path is for you. These are but the sad truths that we are yet to face. Sad… but TRENDING. But I ask you, will you be part of this trend?

Only a few of us know that nursing isn’t just about being a part of the ward, or working as a community nurse. Much more than what we are taught here at the college, nursing offers us a wide range of fields and specializations where we can excel at, a few of which our guest panelists will be talking about today. But believe me, not everyone knows this. I believe that nurses nowadays end up unemployed or underemployed, not because they don’t have a choice… but because they do not know their choices in the first place.

I challenge you now. What path will you take? Will you be contented and be part of the current trend in the Philippines, and blame those who are “anak ng Diyos” for your failures, or will you be part of something bigger and will you set your own WORLDWIDE TREND?

Going abroad = Happiness? It's more fun in the Philippines!

"Mag-aabroad ka ba?"

Yan ang madalas na tanong sa akin ng mga tao gawa nang gagraduate na ako this April. (please, pag-graduate-in mo na ako!!). Dahil nga Nursing ang course ko, a lot, especially relatives, are expecting na mag-aabroad ako one way or another. But what are the benefits of going abroad? Is there a downside with pursuing it?

My question was answered while on my way home this morning from a mall near us.

May mga matatanda kasing naguusap. I bet they're total strangers, pero I don't know, it's easy for old people to initiate a conversation with strangers. And the funny thing is, everytime, they'd brag about their children, grandchildren, and relative's  achievements. So eto na nga, nagyayabangan sila subtly ng mga trabaho ng mga anak at kamag-anak nila. Kesyo yung isang anak, dentista o nurse sa states, MALAKI ANG SWELDO. Yung isa namang kakilala, dating working student, nagtrabaho sa talyer, at ngayon nasa Saudi, MALAKI ANG SWELDO. Yung isang anak na dentista o doktor ata, wala pa sa abroad, pinipilit na ng magulang, kasi nga MALAKI ANG SWELDO.

So I guess it boils down to the fact na pag andun ka sa ibang bansa, kahit saan pa siguro, malaki ang sweldo mo. Sabi pa naman nung lolo na madaldal sa jeep kanina, basta medical related madaling makakuha ng trabaho, mataas sweldo, sure ang trabaho. Good for me, pero honestly, as I see it, hindi madaling makakuha ng trabaho ang mga tulad kong would-be nurse, lalo na kung iisa ka lang sa libo-libong karayom sa dayami (well, buti na lang kami'y mga ginintuang karayom, madaling makita. Haha. I need not explain why).

So gets ko na, malaki naman talaga ang sweldo. At sa panahon ngayon na taghirap at lahat na lang ng presyo ay nagtataas, money is a must. Pero kahit ganun pa man, they still mentioned, "mahirap ang mabuhay sa ibang bansa." But why? Hindi ba marami silang pera dun? Bakit sila nahihirapan? Well, that's easy to answer, gawa nang marami akong kamag-anak na tumitira na sa states…

MALUNGKOT. 

Yeah, malungkot sa states lalo na kung mag-isa ka lang. Malamig, wala kang kakilala, wala kang karamay sa problema. Maswerte ka na nga lang kung may Pinoy community doon na pwede mong katsismisan at kakwentuhan ng pinoy pick-up line (seriously, meron bang natatawas sa english na pickup line?). Kaya nga they try their best na ma-petition na ang kanilang pamilya. Una, magaan na buhay para sa mga mahal sa buhay, at pangalawa, hindi na sila malulungkot. Sabi nga nung lolo kanina, "mas masayang mamuhay sa Pilipinas. Sa buong mundo, Pilipinas ang pinaka-masaya."

Why you ask? Coz it's our nature to be happy. Madaanan ng bagyo, madaanan ng baha, ng lindol, ng sunog, sooner or later, tatawa pa rin ang mga Pinoy. Makakita nga lang ng camera sa TV, kakaway na yan, abot tenga ang ngiti. Because in these times of extreme stress, We Filipinos turn to humor and happiness with our loved ones in order to regain ourselves and to strengthen our hope. Na kahit ano pa man ang mangyari sa buhay, kesyo masama o maganda, at the end of the day, we can always prove that...

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE.

So is going abroad. It's all up to you kung pupunta ka ng abroad. Just be happy with what you choose :)

Typical Filipino Teleserye Formulas

Mara-Clara, Mula sa Puso, Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin and Kristine

Aside from the fact that all of these are products of the creative minds in ABS-CBN, what these words or phrases share in common is that they're all teleseryes. I think a lot would agree that these teleseryes have indeed become a part of the evening habit of most of us Filipinos, especially the graying generation. Dahil dito sa mga teleserye na 'to, natutunan nating tumawa, umiyak at mag-inarte. I can still remember myself watching "Mula sa Puso" back then, and being sad with the death of Rico Yan. Bagay na bagay pa naman sila ni Claudine! But anyway, somehow, I've become bored with Filipino teleseryes. With the birth of technology and globalization, new forms of drama such as koreanovelas and jdoramas have invaded the Philippines. Even if we don't understand they're language, subtitles or almost-fail dubbing has brought us closer to their culture and celebrities. Pero bakit nga ba medyo nabawasan na ang nagkakagusto sa local teledrama? It's not about the language my friends, no, I think we are not enticed by the foreign tongue. Ang problema kasi, masyado na naging predictable ang Filipino teledramas.

So allow me to discuss some of the most typical teleserye plots in television.

1. "Nagkapalit kami"
As what they say, "Ang Mara Clara ang ina ng mga teleserye". True, Mara Clara has indeed paved the way for teleseryes. And I think what enticed the Filipinos with Mara and Clara is the plot itself. Dalawang tao na magkakapalit ng posisyon. Usually, yung isa naging mahirap at laging pinapahirapan ng kanyang pamilya, at yung isa naman naging mayaman na nakukuha ang lahat ng gusto. But the twist is, one should be in place of the other. But unfortunately, it hasn't became a twist anymore, lalo na kung marami nang similar plots na lumabas with the same theme. Pero one thing is for sure... kadalasan, at the end, malalaman din ng lahat ang katotohanan. Similar din ang theme na 'to sa mga magkakamukhang bida. May dalawang bida na magkamukha, usually, isang mayaman at isang mahirap, tapos magkakapalit sila ng posisyon at iibigin nila ang taong makikilala nila sa buhay ng kamukha nila.

2. "Ang nawawalang eredera"
Ito siguro yung theme na pinaka-kinaiinisan ko. The typical flow of story, may isang anak-mayamang bata na mawawalay sa pamilya, at pagkatapos ng isang aksidente (maaaring sunog, o kaya naman sasakyan na sumabog o nahulog sa bangin), mawawalay ang bata sa kanyang pamilya. Usually than often, the child will be raised in a poor, loving family (pero kadalasan din, may isang myembro ng pamilya na magmamalupit sa kanya, pwedeng lasenggerong tatay, lasenggerang nanay, o lasenggerang lola na mahilig sa mahjong... basta mahilig sa alak). Sa pagdating ng takdang panahon, malalaman niya ang katotohanan. Pero yung twist na ayaw-na-ayaw ko, may isang tao na magpapanggap bilang siya upang makuha ang mana na dapat sa kanya. Naiinis talaga ako pag may nagpapanggap! Ang nakakainis lang, sa sobrang bait ng bida, hindi na niya ipaglalaban ng husto ang kanyang karapatan. Hahayaan na lang niyang tapak-tapakan siya ng impostora.

3. "Sino ako?"
Ang pinaka-gasgas na theme sa balat ng lupa!!! AMNESIA. Yan na lang ba ang sakit sa mundo? Bakit lahat na lang nang bida nawawalan ng ala-ala? Pwede naman siyang magkaroon ng AIDS, pressure ulcer o kaya Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation... Pero at least, mas flexible ang ganitong theme, pwede siyang i-apply sa iba pang plots. For example, pwede siyang i-apply sa nabanggit ko sa itaas. Pwedeng nagka-amnesia yung bida after an accident, tapos hindi niya maaalala na mayaman pala siya! And the villains would make sure that she won't remember at all, or at least dispatch her before it happens. Another application: After an explosion, everyone would think that the protagonist is dead, but it happens that she is actually alive! and with amnesia! How unlucky can she get? What's more unlucky? Yung magkaka-amnesia ka tapos yung kukupkop sa'yong doktor na taga-hanga mo ay papaniwalain kang ikaw ang kanyang asawa, at pipigilan ka niyang malaman ang katotohanan sa pamamagitan ng pagtago sa'yo sa isang malayong lugar at pag-hi-hire ng isang katulong na magbabantay sa bawat kilos mo.

4. "Bida-Kontrabida"
Bago lang ang theme na 'to, but it's popularity has been growing in the modern times. Siguro kasi, nagsasawa na ang Pilipino sa masyadong mabait na bida. They want something better, they want someone fiercer. And there came forth the Bida-kontrabidas. Ang mga bida na gumagawa ng masama. Kakaibang theme pero effective. Para naman makita natin side ng mga kontrabida. I think this is a good theme because we are able to see the reasons why these villains do their evil stuff. Lahat ng bagay may rason. Pero what I don't like is the pattern wherein the bida-kontrabida must always have to be a sexy, beautiful girl wearing sexy clothes and a red lipstick. Feeling ko, masyado nang nafocus sa face value ang mga pinoy. Bakit, maganda lang ba ang pwedeng maging bida? At pang-aakit lang ba ang pwedeng gawing paraan upang makapag-palaganap ng kasamaan, in a BIDA-ful way? Sana may bida-kontrabida na pangit. hihihihi.

5. "Ang panget na superhero"
In the not-so-far past of Pinoy teleseryes, the usual themes are quite realistic, focusing on actual things that happen. But with the birth of computer graphics and multimedia arts, the so called fantaseryes or telefantasya has flourished the Filipino primetime television. Masyado nang nahilig ang pinoy sa kathang-isip, to the point na halos lahat ng primetime show sa isang tv station ay puro fantasy, maliban na lang sa isang dubbed koreanovela sa bandang dulo. I can understand them, because I think these out-of-the-world themes became a venue for the stressed Filipino to be unstressed, and for them to make-believe that the impossible can actually happen, even for half an hour. Winner na winner 'to sa mga bata. Pero ang hindi ko maintindihan ay kung bakit ang superhero na pagkalakas-lakas at super talino, kapag sa normal na buhay, ay kadalasang mahirap, may peklat sa mukha, o kaya naman pilay na naka-saklay. At kadalasan, nakuha nila ang powers nila dahil tumulong sila sa isang matandang babae na diwata pala, o kaya naman nakapulot ng pirasong bakal at bigla na lang may maririnig na boses na magsasabing, "ikaw ay itinakda". Hindi na rin ako nagtataka. This kind of plot brings a moral lesson that whatever flaws you have in your appearance, your kindness and inner beauty will always matter at the end... Understandable naman ang part na kung saan, naging superhero sila dahil tumulong sila sa isang tao. Pero mahirap lang ba ang mabait? Panget lang ba ang mabait? At lahat ba ng pilay, may busilak na kalooban? I think Filipinos have to change that notion that those who are the underdogs will always be nice. Sana i-consider din nila na magkaroon ng superhero na pag sa likod ng maskara, ay ubod ng ganda, mayaman at may magandang pamilya. Yeah, kung gusto niyo maging realistic ang palabas niyo, lubos-lubusin niyo na. Tutal, life is unfair talaga, may iilang tao na nakukuha ang lahat ng maganda sa mundo.

6. "Tiyang, wag po!"
Villains would always be a part of a teleserye. Kung walang kontrabida, walang bida. Their spice always brings the color and flavor in a pinoy teleserye. But based on my observation, kadalasan ang kontrabida, yung malapit sa'yo. Maaaring kamag-anak tulad ng tiyahin, lola, o kaya step-mother. Yes, kadalasan nga babae. Ewan ko, magaling siguro tumawa ng evil ang babae. High pitch. Nakakatakot. But what's scarier is that you and this villain is actually sleeping under the same roof! Be close to your friends, but your enemies closer. E pano kung pareho kayo ng tahanan diba? Super close na kayo! The usual reason why these kontrabidas assault the bida (usually a child) is because they want to use them to become richer, or perhaps to have every inheritance entitled to the protagonist. And yeah, kadalasan nga, either magaling sumampal or magaling tumawa ng evil yung kontrabida. It has become a requirement. Imagine a kontrabida na mahiyain at mahinhin. Baka yung bida pa yung sumapak sa kanya. At kapag mayaman ang kontrabida, payat... pag mahirap, mataba. I guess that's just the way it is. Tingin mula ulo hanggang paa, at tatawa ng malakas, sabay sabi, "MGA HAMPASLUPAAA!" Sweet... sabay sampal o kaya tapon ng juice sa mukha.

7. "Tubig at langis"
Isa pa siguro sa pinaka-gasgas na teleserye theme. Halos lahat ng teleserye, may ganitong tema. Langit ka, lupa ako. Tayo'y tubig at langis. Mayaman ka, mahirap lang ako. Pangit ka, maganda ako (parang ang sagwang pakinggan nun, parang panlalait), . What's the bottomline? Dalawang tao na kahit magkaiba sa maraming bagay, na kahit ang buong mundo ay tutol sa kanilang pagsasama... sa huli ay magkakatuluyan pa rin.

One example is the cityboy-probinsyana plot. May isang manilenyo na mapapadpad sa probinsya. Sa una, ayaw niya na pumunta dun, pero nang makilala niya ang isang maganda, mayumi at inosenteng babae na kadalasa'y anak ng tauhan, magkakagusto siya dito. Magliligawan sila at maghahabulan sa dayami at pilapil. Ngunit ang city girl na may gusto kay lalake ay malalaman ang nangyari at gagawin niya ang lahat upang masira ang buhay ni probinsyana.

Another example: ang typical amo at chimay love team. Feel na feel siguro panuorin ng mga maid ang ganitong theme. Magkakagusto ang amo sa kanilang katulong at ang unang-unang tatanggi... ang kanyang mama. Hahamakin nila ang lahat upang makamit ang wagas na pagmamahalan. Madalas din 'tong theme ng mga pocket book. I think the makers of these teleserye are really intelligent. They try to find out what composes the majority of the population bago gumawa ng teleserye. Oo nga naman, para bumenta. But I think this plot, even if used over and over again, does not fail to make our hearts wonder and be joyful. I think everyone is obsessed with the idea of true love despite everything.

8. "The happy ending"
Believe me, almost every teleserye found in Filipino archives have good ending. Either the two couples, who have experienced every hardships and challenges, will end up in a grand wedding, or mamamatay ang kontrabida dahil nabaril ng bida, o kaya nahulog mula sa abandonadong gusali at nakaladkad ng sasakyan.

Syempre, ito na nga lang ang time ng mga pinoy para libangin ang sarili nila, tapos bad ending pa. What they want is that everytime they reminisce a teleserye, they would remember something happy at the end. Understandable naman, on my view. Pero kadalasan kasi, it suppresses the creativity of Filipino writers. They always think that they should enclose themselves in a rainbow box of happy endings. Ito yung isang teleserye formula na nagudyok sa akin para ibigin ang dramang banyaga. Foreign, especially Asian, dramas offer a variety of twists and conclusions. Mahilig kasi ako sa bitter sweet endings, something that you will really remember, not because of wedding bells and true love's kiss, but because of painful partings and unrequited love. Mas mahapdi sa puso, kaya mas may tatak.


These are only a few of the many patterns found in a typical Filipino teleserye. But no matter how typical these teleseryes are, they will always be part of our culture. It has given us opportunities to express our self through crying, lauging and getting over-excited, with the bidas and kontrabidas. It has given us lessons on how to effectively laugh and slap like a kontrabida, aside from the memorable evil quotes. It has given us values in life, that no matter what happens to us, there will always be hope and promise of a happy ending. But more than that, teleseryes have somehow, given us identity as Filipinos. Emotional, loving and optimistic Filipinos.

Banzai

Q. What does "Banzai" mean?
A. "Banzai（万歳）" literally means ten thousand years (of life). It is written with the combination of the kanji characters for "ten thousand（万）" and "age（歳）."

"Banzai" is a Japanese cheer that can be translates as "Long life!" or "Hurrah!" It is usually repeated three times to express enthusiasm, celebrate a victory, applause and favor on happy occasion while raising both arms. It is commonly done together with the large group of people.

Foreign people seem to confuse "Banzai" with a war cry. It is probably because the Japanese soldiers shouted "Tennouheika Banzai!(天皇陛下万歳!)" when they were dying during World War II. In this context what they meant was "Long live the Emperor" or "Salute the Emperor".

[ http://japanese.about.com/blqow41.htm ]


Merong nagsabi sa'min two years ago na ang ibig sabihin daw ng "Banzai" ay "May the emperor live ten thousand years!", or "Long live the emperor" for short. Tama nga naman, through the eyes of a foreigner. Nabubulagan lang siguro siya ng sobra niyang PAGMAMAHAL sa bansang Japan (well, obviously, I'm being sarcastic. He loathes Japan... well, maliban na lang sa magagandang cosplaye-- I mean, cosplay activities.^_^)

Pero naisip ko lang, can "Banzai" be applied to Filipinos? Can "banzai!" be shouted by soldiers when they are in the battlefield?

Siguro, pag ordinary Filipinos lang, ok lang na magsabi ng Banzai. It's kinda similar to saying "Hurray" or "Mabuhay!". Pero pag soldiers... Kung kukunin natin yung meaning ng banzai from He-who-LOVES-japan, pag sinabi ng soldiers na Banzai, parang sinabi nila "May the emperor live ten thousand years!" or in our previous context, "May madam President live ten thousand years!!!"... Oh my goodness.. Uh, I don't think so. Pero masagwa din ang present context nating, "May Pnoy live ten thousand years (along with Kris Aquino, baby josh and baby james)." Basta ba walang wang-wang at budget cut.

Siguro, mas bagay kung ang isisigaw nila imbis na BANZAI, ay BONZAI, o kaya naman, BANZOT... O diba, ang cute!

Grabe.. Kung sakaling nasa Brunei or Myanmar ako ngayon, nasundan na 'ko ng gobyerno, pinakulong, o kaya naman chinop-chop ang katawan at itinapon sa magkakahiwalay na biodegradable trash bin. Super limited kasi ang press freedom dun. Bawal mong pagsalitaan ng masama ang state ruler. Buti na lang talaga, I'm here in our beloved Philippines, kung saan libreng libre ang mga bloggers na kutyain ang height ng pangulo. At syempre, bonus na rin ang pagiging UP ko, kung saan, may freedom of expression din.

Pilipinas... Banzai!
Pilipino... Banzai!
UP... Banzai!
PGMA... Bonzai!...? umm.. Banzot!...?
PNOY... Banz... Banz... (shet, wala akong maisip) Banzen burner? Sunugin ang budget cut!!!
He-who-LOVES-Japan... Bonzat... 

Huwag niyo akong gagayahin. Our country needs good citizens