Cagayan and Isabela needs HELP. #UlyssesPH

Photo Credits to Lorie Agub

Just after the devastation brought by Super Typhoon Rolly in Bicol, Typhoon Ulysses gave NCR, CALABARZON and Central Luzon nightmarish strong winds and heavy rain downpour submerging affected areas into deep floods more than what Typhoo Ondoy gave last 2009. Two provinces in the North cries for help – Cagayan and Isabela as main dams and Cagayan River overflowed causing severe deep floods that almost blurred the provinces in the archipelago as seen in aerial views. Social Media has been flooded with posts of despair, danger, hunger and grief though citizens are trying so hard to be resilient. This is not the time for division, we Filipinos should unite as one in helping each other never mind politics or social differences. People in the said provinces badly need food, water, basic necessities and to be rescued for those who are trapped by floods in the rooftops.

Photo Credits to Joash Aggabao

Photo Credits to Christina Saquing

I am using this blog as a channel to help my Kababayans in this challenging calamity situation. May this blog post reach everyone who has the heart to help even in the simplest ways.  Here are the hotlines and channels to where you could help and give donations. I would like to thank The Geyser -People's Publication for giving me the list of important hotlines to contact in Isabela and Cagayan. You can reach them at their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheGeyserPublication

IMPORTANT NUMBERS TO SAVE!

[Credits to ISU-The Geyser]

PDRRMC Isabela HOTLINE numbers:

(078)323-0416 - PLDT

09215852341 - Smart

09158193187 - Globe

DISTRICT 1 EMERGENCY HOTLINES

CABAGAN

PNP- (0917) 904 0182

BFP- (0917) 816 4240

LGU RESCUE-(0917) 565 6679

DELFIN ALBANO

PNP- (0977) 801 9029

BFP- (0953) 299 9108

LGU RESCUE- (0917) 653 3652

DIVILACAN

PNP- (0998) 967 3088

BFP -(0997) 288 4336

LGU RESCUE- (0919) 892 2240

CITY OF ILAGAN

PNP- (0916) 742 4412

BFP- (0975) 250 1218

LGU RESCUE- (0915) 234 1124

MACONACON

PNP- (0920) 566 7809

BFP- (0997) 288 4336

LGU RESCUE- (0929) 313 2791

SAN PABLO

PNP- (0998) 598 5238

BFP- (0917) 105 5336

LGU RESCUE - (0977) 851 9541

SANTA MARIA

PNP- (0905) 680 0334

BFP- (0917) 801 2748

LGU RESCUE - (0945 188 6494

SANTO TOMAS

PNP- (0975) 906 4763

BFP- (0905) 044 6665

LGU RESCUE- (0975) 052 8519

TUMAUINI

PNP- (0927 382 5487

BFP- (0915) 196 0342

LGU RESCUE- (0975) 994 8281

DISTRICT 2 EMERGENCY HOTLINES

BENITO SOLIVEN

PNP - 0917 508 2945

BFP - 0975 275 0727

LGU RESCUE - 0966 783 3357

GAMU

PNP - 0927 939 6862

BFP - 0975 275 9242

LGU RESCUE - 0927 128 7232

NAGUILIAN

PNP - 0945 335 7311

BFP - 0906 766 6324

LGU RESCUE - 0917 312 7540

PALANAN

PNP - 0998 598 5235

BFP - 0936 798 6959

LGU RESCUE - 0950 091 8241

REINA MERCEDES

PNP - 0935 532 8600

BFP - 0975 883 3915

LGU RESCUE - 0997 609 1594

SAN MARIANO

PNP - 0927 993 5330

BFP - 0975 657 4080

LGU RESCUE - 0917 971 1125

DISTRICT 3 EMERGENCY HOTLINES

ALICIA

LGU RESCUE-(0927)306 5309

PNP-(0917) 819 6449

BFP-(0966) 935 1144

ANGADANAN

LGU RESCUE-(0927) 142 8226

PNP-(0936) 971 413

BFP-(0906) 613 1450

CABATUAN

LGU RESCUE-(0936) 947 1537

PNP-(0915) 667 0205

BFP-(0917) 891 1416

RAMON

LGU RESCUE-(0906) 713 5314

PNP-(0906) 233 7819

BFP-(0927) 743 4104

SAN MATEO

LGU RESCUE-(0997) 538 4008

PNP-(0917) 174 5655

BFP-(0927) 824 9439

DISTRICT 4 EMERGENCY HOTLINES

CORDON

PNP- 0975 923 2655

BFP- 0926 946 8923

LGU RESCUE- 0936 184 5505

DINAPIGUE

PNP- 0928 386 6344

BFP- 0905 415 1335

LGU RESCUE- 0947 398 6624

JONES

PNP- 0935 136 6998

BFP- 0995 883 6125

LGU RESCUE- 0906 557 4826

SAN AGUSTIN

PNP- 0975 493 3840

BFP- 0905 783 5368

LGU RESCUE- 0916 690 9088

SANTIAGO CITY

PNP- 0917 840 6374

BFP- 0997 314 2795

LGU RESCUE - 0905 558 669

DISTRICT 5 EMERGENCY HOTLINES

AURORA

PNP-(0917) 846 1951

BFP-(0915) 198 4117

LGU RESCUE -(0917) 539 7151

BURGOS

PNP-(0915) 727 1471

BFP -(0953) 291 4596

LGU RESCUE- (0997) 211 3563

LUNA

PNP- (0915) 668 1499

BFP- (0917) 506 5840

LGU RESCUE-(0917) 504 2131

MALLIG

PNP- (0945) 745 2028

BFP-(0975) 661 9366

LGU RESCUE-(0965) 223 4514

QUEZON

PNP- (0906) 513 1703

BFP-(0917) 309 2580

LGU RESCUE- (0975) 769 8851

QUIRINO

PNP- (0916) 338 4207

BFP- (0917) 883 0082

LGU RESCUE- (0917) 635 1874

ROXAS

PNP- (0915) 841 4988

BFP-(0935) 935 1065

LGU RESCUE- (0935) 039 2203

SAN MANUEL

PNP- 0935 727 6812

BFP- (0927) 994 2961

LGU RESCUE- (0955) 681 2415

DISTRICT 6 EMERGENCY HOTLINES

CAUAYAN CITY

PNP- 0926 618 5717

BFP- 0926 490 5075

LGU RESCUE- 0927 716 9220

ECHAGUE

PNP- 0917 681 6913

BFP- 0917 500 2585

LGU RESCUE- 0917 626 2352

SAN GUILLIERMO

PNP- 0926 475 8526

BFP- 0906 821 0039

LGU RESCUE- 0967 544 1506

SAN ISIDRO

PNP- 0977 306 9391

BFP- 0915 995 5840

LGU RESCUE- 0926 943 0427

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Nurse Life: Boosting the Immune System

These times of the Pandemic, healthcare workers are considered heroes but that honor cost them to work harder as the cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in most areas all over the world. Every day, nurses face a lot of stress, wear thick PPEs for the whole shift making them give more effort to breathe under N95 masks, skip meals when there are ample of admissions and compromise their sleep cycles because of abrupt irregular shifting changes as well as overtime duties. As nurses working in the COVID-19 Isolation Unit, we have to take precaution to maintain our health and immunity. Being exposed to patients with Coronavirus and taking care of them is a big responsibility to handle that is why we should stay strong holistically to do our sworn duty to our patients and care for our well beings.

Protecting our Immune System is a must to maintain our body health as we are working in a stressful setting. We protect our immune system by having nutritious foods, enough sleep of possible, wearing complete PPEs and precautions and taking some supplements that boosts our immune system for extra protection not just for COVID-19 but for other communicable diseases as well. At times, we tend to eat late because we want to finish everything in our work without delays and our sleeping patterns were compromised due to shifting hours, these are some of the factors that lowers our immune system and raise our stress levels.

Taking supplements every day helps protect Healthcare Workers from acquiring diseases and maintain the adequacy of the levels of vitamins and mineral in my body in case I am not getting enough time to have nutritious foods. Some of them were Vitamin C, the most important as it gives me stronger immunity to communicable diseases, and Vitamin E to make me glow as working as a nurse could at times make you look haggard due to extreme stress, Fish Oil to maintain my Cardiovascular Health. Beta Glucan is a fiber known to prevent the risk of having Heart Diseases and lowers blood glucose. It is also beneficial in the Immune System as it stimulates the white blood cells when there is a pathogen that could invade the body, this results in stronger immunity of the body. One example of a food supplement containing Beta Glucan is Royale Immuno Boost Premium. This product is good for frontliners like us, nurses for boosting our Immune System.

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Ang Henerasyong Sumuko sa Love (2019) - Movie Review

No Copyright Infringement Intended

DISCLAIMER: This review contains spoilers.

The Millenials are the generation known to be smart, intelligent, passionate and extremely driven to achieve their goals. They are also outspoken and fearless to speak up their minds and do what they feel is beneficial to them. Unlike other generations, Millenials encounter struggles in their social lives as they have full control over their decisions. This film features a group of friends that formed during their freshmen days. The film started when they were on an outing after their graduation. They made a promise to visit the same spot every year no matter how busy and occupied they are. Each four stories revolves on how they handle each of their lives, how society and career had an impact on their views about love and relationships

Ma’an is a crush ng bayan type of a girl. Circumstances pushed her to do her own branding hopeful to be an influencer. Many of the youth of today’s generation is a reflection of her where popularity in social media sites struggling to be someone who does her own ways and getting paid by posting in different social media platforms like Youtube and Instagram. The pressure made Ma’an to wear revealing clothes and naughty image just to attract followers much more when she learned that her ex’s girlfriend is a more popular vlogger than she is. While she becomes popular, the more it made her want more just to feed her insecurities.

Denzel is a budding bar owner with charisma. He love casual dating and one night stands. His dates even offer him to be in a relationship but he always denies and ghosts them afterwards. Not until he met a guy whom he will fall for and changed his view about relationship now wanting to have a commitment. Things did not go well because the man he fell for only wants an open relationship with no exclusivity.

Juna Mae and Hadji were both attracted to each other but they decided not to put labels on their relationship because Juna Mae’s father hurt her mother in the past. They both agreed into living together and sleep on the same bed but no commitment, both are good with the setup until one day Hadji exploded realizing that he wants more starting the tension between the couple.

Kurt, the alpha among the group is a workaholic freelancer pressured by his mother to be the breadwinner of the family since his grandfather did the same. He told his mom about his depression just to scold him that his life is good and there is nothing to be depressed of. Whenever he was with his friends, he seems preoccupied thinking about work and does not seem to know their situations. When they had a reunion outing after a year, tensions arise from the group starting with Hadji and Juna Mae then vented out the disappointment to Kurt. They left him in the resort before getting a phone call from Kurt’s mother that they found a suicide note in his bed. Hurriedly, they found they friend in the dark safe then hugged each other.

All these situations reflects the struggles of young adults nowadays. They do not have time to succumb in classic sweet romance as they were busy facing their responsibilities. It must have been better if each stories were expanded for us to be more sympathetic of the way they behave. A runtime of 120 minutes may not be enough. There are a lot of possible queries a viewer may ask like “What would Kurt’s mother tell him after he comes home from the outing?” Will Juna Mae and Hadji decide for a commitment after they reconcile?” The actors exhibited good acting skills, no doubt. Something in the plot is lacking that makes the viewers wish to have more from the characters.  This movie lacks depth although the concept is relevant in today’s society.

TITLE: Ang Henerasyong Sumuko sa Love

MAIN CAST:

Tony Labrusca as Kurt

Jane Oineza as Ma’an

Albie Casiṅo as Hadj

Myrtle Sarrosa as Juna Mae

Jerome Ponce as Denzel

 

DIRECTOR: Jason Paul Laxamana

WRITER: Jason Paul Laxamana

GENRE: Coming of Age, Romance, Drama, Friendship

PRODUCED UNDER: Regal Films, Largavista Entertainment

YEAR OF RELEASE: 2019

MY RATING: 3/5

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Over Zoom Specialty Coffee Najran

Spending quality time with friends or alone in a nice coffee shop is a good way to unwind after work or school. Over Zoom Specialty Coffee is located at Prince Ibn Abdulaziz Road, Najran City. The café highlights good variety of coffee brews and flavors as well as cakes and pastries. The ambiance is great as the inside of the café is cozy and well decorated. I like the colorful artificial trees and flowers. My favorite are the giant teddy bear sitting across one of the tables making this coffee shop Instagram worthy.

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Bonding with Friends at Bowling Town Najran

 

A night out with friends would be so much fun with cool activities that are challenging and fun at the side time. This was the first time we had bowling on a night out. Hitting the target pins. The more pins, the better or should we say, all pins. Bowling town is an amusement center located in Al-Faysaliyah Najran. They also offer other activities aside from bowling with a bar inside for having drinks and relaxation. I highly recommend trying this activity with your group of friends, the more the merrier. First, you need to pay out like 15 SAR each to register then form a group of four players for one lane. Then your names will be on a screen showing your records of strikes. Play your heart out and cheer for your friends. A must try for everyone.

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HEARTBREAK AND HEALING

To be healed from the blow of a heartbreak is not an easy thing to achieve. Like a broken glass, your heart not be the same anymore. It changes you to the person you were before. The length of time for someone to heal from a heartbreak varies from one person to another. Some may last from weeks while others spent years to find themselves whole again. For you to heal your broken heart does not happen overnight and should involve your conscious choice to move forward from the agony of being submerged into mixed emotions of regret, despair and loneliness to overcoming them to attain inner peace and healing.

ACKNOWLEDGE THE PAIN: Start by being aware of your emotions. Cry all you want and find ways to release your feelings until you find relief. It is better to feel the utmost intensity of the pain from heartbreak than make it dwell inside you. There were countless of ways to release your frustrations in good ways like shouting it all out in a place where you are alone. Let yourself have some time to grieve. Feel the pain until it hurts no more.

FOCUS ON YOURSELF: Do your best to give all your efforts in putting yourself first before anything else. You need to take care of who else but you. Have some focus on things that yields self-improvement and would make you feel good like trying a new hobby and exploring new places.

FOCUS ON THE PRESENT: No matter how rough and aching those memories you had in the past, they should all stay in the past. What happened already could not be brought back again. Avoid yourself from thinking about regrets as doing so will turn you into a bitter person. Instead, start again as you wake up in the morning with a positive thought that great things are about come. There were new pages in your life waiting for you to fill and it will all start in your present.

FOCUS ON YOUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS: A healthy body is a pathway into a good well-being. Too much sadness could lead to poor nutritional status as you exhibit no appetite or in the opposite, you succumb into stress eating that could lead to serious health risks. Sleep disturbance is common in people who are heartbroken and it could lead to low mental functioning, poor judgment and less focus. Make an effort to take care of your health. Eat nutritious foods, do your best to have an adequate sleep and regular exercise as doing so helps you release hormones like endorphins, which gives you a positive and happy mood.

DO A SOCIAL MEDIA DETOX: How can you move on if you still keep on stalking the person who broke your heart? I know it is very challenging to do but blocking, unfriending and unfollowing the people who made you hurt will give your mind a break. You have to put in your mind that their existence does not matter in your life anymore and there is no use of looking on their social media profiles and posts as it may give you more longing than letting go. Taking a break from social media in general is also a good idea to cleanse your mind from the toxicities of seeing posts or people that may remind you of your heartbreak.

ACCEPT THE TRUTH: Accept that things won’t be the same anymore. That the person you have loved before won’t be a part of your life from now on. Acceptance is the last stage of grief. After overcoming the grieving process, accepting the reality of your loss frees you from the chains of the painful memories, anguish and guilt. You will then realize that you must continue living and move forward. The truth as they say, will set you free.

DO NOT CLOSE YOUR HEART IN FINDING LOVE AGAIN: You are now in a new journey. Life is full of surprises along the way. Have faith that one day, love will find you when you least expect it. Open yourself to the world, have fun and love will follow.

 

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Heartbreak and Forgiveness

 

“It’s not an easy journey, to get to place where you forgive people. But it is such a powerful place, because it frees you.” – Tyler Perry

To forgive someone who broke your heart is not an easy thing to do. No matter what the grounds like betrayal, rejection or deceit. Being emotionally hurt is a human nature we could not help to undergo. Freeing ourselves from hatred is arduous hence; we should not allow ourselves to be contained by our wounds. Letting unwanted emotions stay in our hearts will block away happiness like living in darkness. A person who cannot forgive is a prisoner of his anger. To genuinely forgive is not something that could be done overnight. A process that involves time and a choice to help yourself along the way.

I have experience being hurt by people I trust and love. It is an inevitable common occurrence in our social relationships as humans. At first, we find it difficult to forgive as the extent of pain they caused shattered us badly. There were times when I never thought that I would forgive those people someday. Time heals. You do not have to force it. One day, the wounds will heal until you realize to be ready to start again by unleashing the troubles in your past.

Do not let the scars of the past turn you into a miserable person. Release the weight of loathing in your heart so you can feel the beauty of life. There were no definite steps on how to forgive. It all depends on you. Here are some of my advices that may guide you.

 FORGIVE YOURSELF: How can you forgive people if you do not forgive yourself first? It should all start within you. To let go, release all that guilt and anguish in your heart. Throw away that heavy emotional baggage you were carrying for so long. Push yourself to move forward and always reflect upon your thoughts. To give forgiveness, healing of one’s own self must be there.

 DO NOT DWELL IN THE PAST: As much as possible, refrain from reminiscing the situation that pained you. No one can bring back what already happened. There is no sense in hanging in those painful memories. Life goes on and only you can write your own story but take with you the lessons it taught you.

DO NOT REGRET:  Disappointments caused by having your heart broken by someone you love makes you regret that you gave all your trust and invest your feelings to that person. In the first place, you never thought that you would be hurt in the end. This would cause you to have a remorse. Instead, think that all situations we had and people we met have significant reasons they play in our lives. Some of them may be there to teach us.

LOOK AT THE GOOD SIDE: Sometimes we consume ourselves with resentment that we only see the bad things a person have done to us. This is a challenging thing to do but trying to look at the good side of that person as well as the things and memories he/she had with us that once made us happy may lessen the hatred we feel. This way, we may come to rationalize their actions, be it intentional or not. Keep in mind that nobody is perfect so if you can, give even the slightest consideration to understand.

 Forgiveness is a long process. Only we could have the decision to give it or just let it be. People who know how to forgive possesses inner peace because they have freedom from the pain of the past. It does not mean that when you forgive, you forget all that happened. In turn, those lessons you had make you wise. You may forgive without talking again to someone who hurt you or reconstruct a broken relationship. It is all about being at peace with yourself.

 

 

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Factors that Cause a Heartbreak

Heartbreak comes in many forms. We feel broken due to some factors we were facing dealing with our emotional stability that could lead us to being devastated in the end. In this modern world of Millennials to Gen Zs, people were taking relationships for granted. There were compromised commitments resulting to misunderstandings between two persons in the relationship. Nowadays, we tend to overlook the deeper meaning of love. Our carelessness and aggressiveness in handling it may give us extreme sadness. Reflection upon things that brought us to this condition may help us avoid having the circumstances next time we fell in love or enter another relationship so that we can handle it wisely.

TRUST ISSUES: To trust a person we need to have faith in every promises and intentions we receive. Without it, there would be no inner peace, worries will eat us until they make our thoughts unhealthy. It will cause us to think of the worst leading to a broken heart. Could love alone survive without trust? How can you have a vision of a good future with someone without trusting Him/Her in the present? Loving someone should come along with constant integrity and communication.

EXPECTATIONS: At times we expect too much, whether we admit or deny it to ourselves. Getting attached to a person makes us expect them to feel the same and losing control of it could lead to intense desperation resulting to disappointments. Before anything else, there must be an effort to control yourself to keep on expecting anything to anyone. The more the expectations, the more pain you have to endure if you fail to meet them.

UNREQUITED LOVE: As I wrote in the beginning, no all love are given back in return. There could be an instance when we fell in love for the person who already belongs to someone else or just don’t feel the same. No matter what, just think that having experienced love is already a blessing. In time, someone will come to complete your life, the person who will give His/Her whole heart to you. There is a right time for everything.

INSECURITY: Nobody is perfect. Being insecure can sometimes trigger unwanted emotions and moods like anxiety for fear that significant others would stop loving us because we feel that we lack something. There is a doubt in ourselves to losing confidence. Too much of this could strain relationships. Self-awareness on our thoughts, knowing our strengths and weaknesses as well as embracing who you are can alleviate insecurity.

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The Beauty in a Heartbreak

 

That was years ago when I was in my bed weeping out of extreme sadness the whole night. I felt so empty of the truth that slapped me so hard. The person I loved the most cannot give me back the same feeling I had. It was like being lost in the middle of nowhere with no sense of direction. Love is truly an amazing feeling hence in reality, the more intense it is, the more risks of having to feel the same intensity of pain in return. Still, life have to keep on going no matter what. The capability to feel different kinds of emotions is what makes us humans unique. To have experienced attraction and intense emotion for another person is a gift. The joy of seeing his/her smile feels like magic. We must put in our minds what reality is teaching us, that not all love felt are requited. Not all love are given back in return.

I believe that broken things are beautiful. Those storms of extreme desperation will subside. There would surely be a rainbow of happiness that will follow in the end. The saying goes “It is better to have loved and lost than to have never love at all”, tells us that experiencing love, whether to lose it or not is a blessing. It shapes us how we see life and appreciate its existence. I understand how hard it is at first but overtime, you will emerge as a stronger person ready to face more of life’s challenges. Diamonds have undergone extreme heat and pressure to form into the hardest minerals of significant value.

In this journey, we call life, not everything is about joy or attaining what we want or fulfilling our desires in an instant. There were times when we should learn to let go of things that are not meant for us. Sometimes have to feel the pain to accept that things do not go our own ways. I hope this blog will help you find the good in what you were going through. This bumpy road in life gives us lessons that we will find out in the right time.

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A Letter to My Heartbroken Self in the Past

 

Dear You,

Seeing you in the mirror with swollen eyes from those nights you can’t help but cry. The agony you were going through is real and I want to give you the warmest hug. Please believe in me when I say that one day you will wake up with the most genuine happiness you will ever feel. You were guilty of your mistakes, of falling in love with the person who could not give you the love you deserve. Please don’t ever think that you are worthless. Life does not always give us what we want but everything happens for a reason. The day will come that it will be revealed to you. Take this moment to love yourself more until serenity will follow.

I can see the depths of your wounds, hence, do not ever give up from walking your journey. In time, all things will make sense. For now, wipe your tears, wash your face and have a sound peaceful sleep. Reserve all your energies on things that makes you fulfilled. Tomorrow is another day. Rest your heart from all the despair and anxiety you are going through, that should be enough. The world will not stop. Possibilities are endless.

Please smile, my dear. You are beautiful. Those hands of yours can do a lot of great things waiting for you to explore. Look at those people around you, they cherish your existence. Trust in me when I say that time will come when all these pains would someday be a memory that taught you to be a better person in the future.

 

Love,

Yourself

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What does heartbreak make you?

 

Every one of us went into a phase where we got our hearts broken. It felt like the end of the world and too much despair dominated our heads as if it will stay forever. Be it a puppy love from adolescent days or a long-term relationship, we could not avoid having the pain of losing someone we love through different reasons and situations. Some may take months to move on and some may linger for years. As long as you have a strong will to move on, how hard the process of coping, believe that in the end, all these will come beautifully. You will wake up someday not feeling the pain anymore and that you transformed into a stronger and better person that you were before. Cry all you want. Do not deprive yourself of expressing all those emotional struggles. Make it sure that in the end, you will stand up with maturity. Keep yourself from being exhausted by your emotions or they will consume you. Focus on the bright side of things. There is a saying that “How can you love others if you do not love yourself first?”

I am not a love expert or a counselor. As a person who felt love and had undergone a series of heartbreaks in the past, here are the things I learned throughout the process. Yes, heartbreak is devastating, hence, on a positive note; it could have a beneficial effect on you as a person not just in your future love life but also in your viewpoint about life in the whole. If handled properly, moving forward from a heartbreak is beautiful. These are the seven things that heartbreak could make you in the process.

 It makes you gain wisdom from your mistakes. Loving the wrong person, being in a situation gone wrong would make you wiser next time you will enter a new relationship. That time, you will learn how to handle things to avoid some mistakes from happening again so are the consequences of your choices. There might be something in your previous relationships that caused it to fail. Those lessons you had will guide you to a more mature and stable relationship in the future.

It makes you emotionally strong. After having a hard blow of the sufferings and sleepless nights of crying in agony, one day you will wake up like nothing had happened and the memories of the past can no longer hurt you. Going through a though time will make you a stronger person that could not be easily shaken and handle your emotions well enough.

It makes you empty to make yourself complete again. Heartbreak is a loss and at times, we feel like life is incomplete with that lost romance. We were blinded that we cannot do anything at all anymore. After you heal all those wounds, the void it left would be filled with fresh and new memories, a better tomorrow and adventures that are waiting for you to enjoy.

It makes you open your eyes to the reality of life. Life is not like in the movies or fairytales as what we were always seeing on television series and movies. Not all couples who love each other live happily ever after in the end. Sometimes, love is not enough to face the realities of life. It is about wise decisions. In our teens, we used to dream about our future first dates or weddings with the person we love and desire but life is more than that as we begin to enter adulthood. There were rough roads ahead for us to overcome.

It makes you independent in your choices. The pain of loss teaches you to be there and handle yourself well. No one could really help you heal but yourself. There should be a motivation to stand up, do something about your goals in life. Please remember that we are the ones who are writing our destiny. Do not let heartbreak destroy you; life has so much more to offer.

It makes you discover more about yourself. Sadness and loneliness are the common emotional effects of heartbreak. Recovery from it must allow you to discover the world around you, especially yourself. Discovery of the things you like, passions, hobbies and goals will make your life meaningful. In addition, there are discoveries of your emotions and attitudes that you can reflect to improve and nurture.

It makes you pave way to meet new people. Being single again will make a way for you to know and meet more people by making friends or exchanging meaningful conversations. Through them, you can acquire new knowledge about everything. Just enjoy socializing. Who knows you will meet someone whom will make your heart happy again. Go on dates, have fun. Life is short to be lonely.

 

 

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Finding Peace in Solitude: Me-Time

Humans are social beings. Aside from our basic physiological needs, we human beings long acceptance and affection. In a fast-paced modern world where Social Media is dominating, our social lives plus the pressure in our jobs to survive may lead to mental and emotional health risks. Increased exposure to these factors may have us acquire toxic effects in our psychological health. Having a breather is a need to refresh our minds and emotions in order to have a good coping and protect our overall wellness.

Solitude is defined as the state of being alone. Some may confuse this to loneliness but it is a choice while loneliness is a deprivation of human affection leading to being sad. After a hard day at work when all that you do is have conversations to different kinds of people and deal with so much pressures, not only your body is exhausted but also your mind. As much as possible you have to take some time for yourself away from social media and stressful connections for a while.

Being alone could help you reflect on things and situations you were handling in your everyday life. It will allow you have a clear viewpoint on how you are doing each day as well as possible solutions on things that are hard and causing you to be anxious.

When you have a “ME-TIME” for yourself, you can be able to control your emotions. May it be too much sadness, anger or joy. Intense emotions could lead to negative effects and may harm us in our judgements to people and situations. An allotted time to breathe could make us calm down our nerves. In that way we could attain the wisdom to act ourselves to what might be the consequences of our actions.

Solitude can bring us inner peace. It could make us achieve calmness and freedom from worries resulting to healthy mindset and emotions. Let us make it a goal to maintain our peace of mind no matter how stressful and toxic our world we live in.

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Caldo Caffee Najran

Caldo Cafe Najran is located somewhere in King Faisal Road, Najran City. It is a Cafe that offers a wide menu of specialty coffee, pastas, drinks and sweets. The ambiance of the place is serene so you will have a good stay for coffee meetings with friends to celebrating dinners for special occasions.

We have tried their Carbonara Pasta, Shrimp Dynamite, Spring Rolls and Wraps which I could say did not disappoint and very tasty. My friends and me enjoyed the place with all the relaxing lightings as well as works of art on the walls. I have not tried their coffee yet because we went there for a Birthday Dinner last time so it is a must to try next visit.

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Buddha Head in Growing Banyan Tree Roots - Wat Mahathat

The Head of the Buddha Statue Sitting inside the Banyan Tree Roots.

All destinations have these unforgettable sites tourists wish to have a glimpse of when they travel. Exploring Thailand would not be complete without visiting the famous Buddha Head statue sitting on a growing Banyan Tree Roots. It is found in Ayutthaya in an ancient temple called Wat Mahathat. From Bangkok, we traveled North by 80 Kilometers, almost 30 minutes by a bus provided by our tour agent.

Seeing the Buddha gave us to awe, different from just looking on photographs. The Buddha’s head encapsulated in the tree gives a sense of mystery of how it happened to be there. There were countless versions on the internet. Looking directly at the Buddha felt like it has some live aura in it that I can’t explain.

Security Guards were very strict in watching over the Banyan Tree with the head statue. They asked us to pay respect by wearing clothes not showing the knees and shoulders for women and long pants for men. The area is very sacred that as a tourist, we must show respect in every way we could. For taking pictures, our tour guide courteously asked us to be in a praying position.

One of the highlights of the tour was when our guide, through microphone gave us an account of the ancient city. Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam (the former name of Thailand). Back then, it was a very prosperous city famous in all Southeast Asia and to the world. The city was rich in agriculture, trade, and culture. Gold items were found everywhere from temples to jewelries of its citizens that in stories, gold were found inside the head of each Buddha statues that the Burmese took advantage of them when the war took place during the 1700s. The invading Burmese army burned and stole everything they saw. The Buddha head in the Banyan Tree Roots of Wat Mahathat was said to have been stolen by a thief but because of its weight, he decided to abandon it and take it back after some time. Over time, the Banyan Tree beside the head statue grew to encapsulate it. The mystery of how the face of the Buddha was kept intact by the growing roots is still a mystery to some but believers attributed it as one great phenomenon relating to their faith that we need to respect and treasure. I could say that my visit to Thailand gave me fulfillment seeing this as one of my favorites sites in the country.

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Life of a Nurse: Handling Stress and Burnout

Healthcare workers are indeed modern day superheroes. The world may see us as such due to our sacrifices in saving the lives of people but at the end of the day, all are just human beings with health limitations. Every day, healthcare workers like us, nurses, are facing exhausting situations in the workplace like increase in patient ratio, failure to eat meals on time and lack of adequate sleep given from changing schedule shifting patterns. Mental Stress could be a result of conflicts will colleagues, pressure to finish all tasks in the shift as well as studying researches and new policies. Even after work hours, overthinking and anxiety about what will happen the next day is unhealthy, all these could lead to burnout and social detachment to the environment. Therefore, nurses should make ways to handle stress and burnout as much as possible. As a nurse working in a demanding and risky area where every day is a challenge; I want to give my personal ways of coping with stress and burnout.

First, let us review some definitions.

STRESS: An antecedent of stimulus, as a consequence of a response. (NCFBI)

BURNOUT: A worker’s reaction to chronic stress. (Frendenberger HJ, 1974)

There are a lot of lists online about handling stress and burnout but I generalized them by what I do personally and is proven effective to myself.

REST YOUR MIND. As much as possible detach yourself from thinking about work related things upon going home. After taking a hot shower, meditate for 5-10 minutes. Turn off your electronic gadgets even for a short while. Take deep breaths. These sure steps will help you cleanse your mind.

LISTEN TO MUSIC/ WATCH FEEL GOOD MOVIES OR TV SERIES. Music Therapy can calm your mind. Take some time to browse stress relieving playlists or your favorite songs on Spotify. There are also varieties of feel good movies on Netflix or other movie sites. A good Rom-Com or Comedy Movie/Series could make you laugh and get you into a good mood.

TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES. Voicing out your thoughts can release your emotional tensions. Feel free to have a talk with someone you trust very well. He/She may be your parents, best friend or lover. A great support system will strengthen your confidence as well as relieve anxiety.

KEEP A JOURNAL OR PERSONAL BLOG. Have some time to write down your thoughts, goals or reflections for the day. Old school as it may seem, a diary is a great aid for expressing yourself privately. Keeping a personal blog online is also a good idea but be careful to not post everything personal online.

CONNECT WITH NATURE. Going for a walk in a park full of trees and plants or a stroll in the beach if nearby will result in calming effect to the mind shutting off toxic thoughts.

EAT DELICIOUS FOOD. A few scoop of Ice Cream or a small bar of chocolate will stimulate your hormones like Endorphins that will lift up your mood. Just take precautions of eating in moderation to avoid stress eating leading to increase weight and health risks.

DECLUTTER/ MAINTAIN TIDINESS AT HOME. A tidy and clean house could clear your mind leading to less stimulus for stress. Keep all unnecessary things in cabinets, clear away trash and organize your things.

Reference for Definitions:

National Center for Biotechnology Information: www.ncbi.com

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Oliva Restaurant in Najran: Food Review

 

Oliva Restaurant is Najran, KSA is located at 4203 King Faysal Road beside the Park. They offer wide varieties of Pizzas and Pastas in their main menu that you can choose and personalize according to your preferences, the taste are good but only not that much flavorful. I would recommend trying out their White Sauce Pasta with Seafood and Broccoli. Their pizza is also worth a try ranging from good flavors like chicken, pepperoni and cheese; most have thick pies so having few slices could make you full, that one with Chicken and cheese fillings is a must try, desserts were also in the menu from cakes to donuts. Adding fries with cheese and chicken balls plus shawarma is also a nice idea.

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Fighting the Pandemic: COVID-19 Nurses

It all began in the news that a new strain of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome virus, COVID-19 identified in Wuhan, China last December 2019. Acquired through small droplets via sneezing and coughing as well as touching contaminated surfaces. For months, the extent of this Infectious Disease turned into a global pandemic as announced by the World Health Organization. The whole world shattered by hundreds of thousands of mortalities and decline to the global economy faced a huge blow in humankind.

Healthcare workers are in the frontline in fighting this Pandemic since then, overwhelmed by increasing number of cases each day. There were new norms, guidelines and changes in the Healthcare Setting is giving an immense amount of adjustments to the Healthcare Personnel. Being one of the nurses assigned in the COVID-19 Unit has been a challenging chapter in our careers. Day after day, we have to learn new guidelines, wear strict Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the protection of everyone. There is a compromise in comfortable breathing for wearing an N-95 mask is essential throughout the whole shift. Fear of getting the infection anytime raises anxiety levels never knowing what lies ahead for us. As Nurses with sworn duty in our profession, this dreaded COVID-19 virus could not stop us from standing up in the midst of the challenges. We are here not for the salary or the mainstream praises we receive but because this is our duty for all humanity.

These are the times when we were tested on how we handle our profession. Giving up can be an option yet we will continue fighting not just when this Pandemic would stop but for our lifetimes. Not everyone may feel our struggles yet that feeling of seeing our patient stable, recover to being discharge is fulfilling beyond any awards of achievements. In times when patients were experiencing symptoms, we were the to ease their struggles, hold their hands when they were anxious and afraid as well as smile at them the moment they recover and results come negative.

As one of the nurses battling in Pandemic around, to the nurses who will reach this blog, may you remain strong physically, mentally and emotionally because the world needs us. May we always remember our pledge no matter how great are the hardships we encounter. Our duty is a lifetime of service and honor.

 

 

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