Okay, not really. I just have a cold and right now it's not bad. But yesterday I felt like I was going to die... nauseated, daggers in my throat, runny nose, coughing. Gross. I just felt gross. The absolute symptom was the sore throat!
Pharyngitis to us of the medical world... inflammation of the pharynx or back of the throat. Worst symptom ever! Worst than a paper cut. Worst than nausea and vomiting. I'm sure it was due to the post-nasal drainage from my runny nose, but I have a great fear of a sore throat developing into tonsillitis or the dreaded strep throat. I had strep throat and tonsillitis once and it is something I would not wish on my worst enemy. It's like a sore throat, but 100x worst! And it was just my luck that the penicillin took a week to actually work (not in 2-3 days like my doctors promised) and I found out that I'm actually allergic to penicillin. So I had the atom bomb of sore throats AND itchy red hands.
So I was on a mission last night to combat this sore throat. Google search! I found a recipe for hot water, lemon juice, honey, and cayenne pepper for one to gargle and sip. The recipe also called for apple cider vinegar, but I didn't have this. It definitely soothed the pain in my throat, but it didn't make it go away. I ended up drinking/gargling half the cup, taking a Tylenol PM and going to bed (sleeping upright).
This morning... sore throat still there, but not as bad. I had some orange juice and by the afternoon my sore throat was gone!!!!! YAY!!!! Still have a cold though, but now its just annoying sinus congestion. Nothing a little amazing Mucinex can't fix :)
Ps. The tylenol PM totally knocked me off my feet for the whole day! But I was able to get some sleep last night.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Quick Easy Eggs Florentine
I actually stole this recipe from theChew.com, one of my new fav shows to watch! I love to think that I'd be able to replicate Mario Batalli's recipes, but there are a lot of easy recipes on the show. Even though she gets teased a lot for eating healthy, I love Daphne Oz's segments of healthy versions of food we all love; except her Tofurkey... still don't know about that one...
Anyways, here's the recipe minus the Hollendaise sauce which has too much butter in it...
- Poach one egg by bring a small pot of water to a boil. Crack egg into a bowl to help you place into the water once boiling. *I accidentally broke the yoke and probably boiled the egg for too long. Boil egg for 3-4 minutes.
- Saute 1 cup spinach in olive oil and garlic until soft.
- Toast 1 slice of whole wheat toast
- Assembly spinach and egg on top of toast. *Remove egg from water using slotted spoon.
- Sprinkle your fav herbs on top. I used a provincial herb mix.
The egg should be runny, but still good if you fully cook the yoke. You could even forgo the toast if you are on a low-carb diet.
ENJOY :)
Thursday, May 5, 2011
I'm still alive!
Hello Blog! Sorry I have been neglectful over the past few months, but life has been quite crazy and hectic! There have been many large and interesting changes that have occurred in my life recently, which have kept be busy and without much free-time to blog. Well, I am taking some quality time to update you about me.
Two of the biggest changes that have happened over the past few months are 1) Brandon and I got a new dog and 2) We moved back to Maryland :)
Bella is the new addition to our little family; along with me, my husband, and our 13 year old male shih tzu Pierre. She is a black labrador retriever who we got from a local breeder in Virginia. She comes from a champion pedigree with both her grandmother and father being champion title show dogs. She is an AWESOME and BEAUTIFUL puppy. Every is always complimenting her on how pretty she is :) Of course she is still a puppy (currently about 6 months) and can have her CRAZY, WILD moments. Her "whining" bark as we call it is ear-piercing and very painful! She loves to play roughly with Pierre, who she is now significantly bigger than and unfortunately he usually is not in the same playful mood... being 13 years old. Thankfully, she is pretty much house-trained and we haven't had any "accidents" in the house for a while now *fingers crossed*
As for the second big event in my life, yes we have FINALLY moved back to Maryland! Much to my absolute happiness :) Not that the area of Virgina where we lived was horrible, but it just didn't afforded me the lifestyle that I was used to in Maryland. I was starting to miss the diversity and action that comes with living in the DC metro area. We're currently living with Brandon's dad while we look for a rental to stay while we try to either rent out or sell our house in Gloucester. It's not the most ideal living conditions, but we have our own room, bed, access to cable tv and most importantly a roof over our head. Now I also have access to all the authentic ethnic foods that I was so deprived of living in Virginia... Mexican, Vietnamese, Japanese, Filipino, Iranian, Lebanese, Indian, and Italian cuisine where they actually make the pasta fresh daily <3 <3 <3
Recently we took a stroll around the DC memorial with Bella. It was so nice to be around the historic architecture and other dog-lovers walking there dogs too. I am truly ecstatic to be back HOME :)
Two of the biggest changes that have happened over the past few months are 1) Brandon and I got a new dog and 2) We moved back to Maryland :)
Bella is the new addition to our little family; along with me, my husband, and our 13 year old male shih tzu Pierre. She is a black labrador retriever who we got from a local breeder in Virginia. She comes from a champion pedigree with both her grandmother and father being champion title show dogs. She is an AWESOME and BEAUTIFUL puppy. Every is always complimenting her on how pretty she is :) Of course she is still a puppy (currently about 6 months) and can have her CRAZY, WILD moments. Her "whining" bark as we call it is ear-piercing and very painful! She loves to play roughly with Pierre, who she is now significantly bigger than and unfortunately he usually is not in the same playful mood... being 13 years old. Thankfully, she is pretty much house-trained and we haven't had any "accidents" in the house for a while now *fingers crossed*
As for the second big event in my life, yes we have FINALLY moved back to Maryland! Much to my absolute happiness :) Not that the area of Virgina where we lived was horrible, but it just didn't afforded me the lifestyle that I was used to in Maryland. I was starting to miss the diversity and action that comes with living in the DC metro area. We're currently living with Brandon's dad while we look for a rental to stay while we try to either rent out or sell our house in Gloucester. It's not the most ideal living conditions, but we have our own room, bed, access to cable tv and most importantly a roof over our head. Now I also have access to all the authentic ethnic foods that I was so deprived of living in Virginia... Mexican, Vietnamese, Japanese, Filipino, Iranian, Lebanese, Indian, and Italian cuisine where they actually make the pasta fresh daily <3 <3 <3
Recently we took a stroll around the DC memorial with Bella. It was so nice to be around the historic architecture and other dog-lovers walking there dogs too. I am truly ecstatic to be back HOME :)
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Aim for a Star
Aim for a star! Never be satisfied
With a life that is less than the best,
Failure lies only in not having tried -
In keeping the soul suppressed.
Aim for a star! Look up and away,
And follow its beckoning beam.
Make each Tomorrow a better Today -
And don't be afraid to dream.
Aim for a star, and keep your sights high!
With a heartful of faith within,
Your feet on the ground, and your eyes on the sky,
Some day you are bound to win!
- Helen Lowrie Marshall
With a life that is less than the best,
Failure lies only in not having tried -
In keeping the soul suppressed.
Aim for a star! Look up and away,
And follow its beckoning beam.
Make each Tomorrow a better Today -
And don't be afraid to dream.
Aim for a star, and keep your sights high!
With a heartful of faith within,
Your feet on the ground, and your eyes on the sky,
Some day you are bound to win!
- Helen Lowrie Marshall
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Eenie Meenie
Everyone always hears about the nursing shortage in the US and isn't it ironic that many new grads from nursing schools are having such a hard time landing a job? Beside not passing the NCLEX, my second greatest fear as a new grad was not getting a job. Unfortunately the state of the economy has effected everyone. Even though hospitals need nurse and nursing schools are churning out new graduates every semester, hospital budgets either do not allow for more positions to be created or a lack of educators hinders managers from hiring new grads. Hospitals can't hire you if you lack solid experience and they don't have anyone or the money to train you.
I have heard from my classmates who have been LUCKy enough to get jobs that people from everywhere in the US are having to relocate because this particular hospital was the only one that would hire them.
I have truly been blessed to be among the few in my graduating class to have been given not just one, but a few job offers. Well, I've only officially been offered one job for a night-time position on a telemetry unit, but I recently had an interview for a position on a CCU/ICU (Coronary Critical Care Unit/Intensive Care Unit) floor and have another interview for an L&D (Labor and Delivery) position. I was offered an interview for a position on an Oncology unit, but I had enough oncology exposure during nursing school. I greatly admire oncology nurses, but I just don't have the heart for it.
I pray in the end that I get the job in the CCU/ICU department. The hospital is a level II trauma hospital, so I'll get exposure to a lot of neurological conditions and head traumas. They also do open heart surgery at the hospital as well. I think it would be an amazing learning opportunity and in the end I just want to experience it all. Not that the telemetry (heart monitoring) unit wouldn't be a good experience as well, but it is in a small hospital so I would be limited in the different cases that I could be exposed to. I'm not going to take the L&D job just because I'm not really passionate about the field. I mean, I find it interesting and there is always the "miracle of life" concept, but I'm really indifferent to the subject. I think it's my lack of experience in being pregnant that makes it hard for me to relate to the patients. Plus, there are soooo many nurses out there who go into nursing because they want to work in the L&D, that I would feel bad taking that opportunity away from them. Honestly, I took the interview because it would give me something to do during the day. It's hard to be home-alone and jobless... navy hubby is out-to-sea for two weeks.
Well, here's to prayers and keeping my fingers crossed. Unfortunately (damn I hate this economy sh*t), it will come down to $$$. With my husband getting out of the military in a few months and going to school, I will be taking over the majority of our expense and I need a job that will rival the salary that he is currently making if not exceed it. I hate money. I mean, I love what you can buy with, but the physical currency itself doesn't make one truly happy. I find that it can make life more stressful and complicated. Oh, to be a child without the concept of money and it's unfortunate, but vital necessity in our culture.
I have heard from my classmates who have been LUCKy enough to get jobs that people from everywhere in the US are having to relocate because this particular hospital was the only one that would hire them.
I have truly been blessed to be among the few in my graduating class to have been given not just one, but a few job offers. Well, I've only officially been offered one job for a night-time position on a telemetry unit, but I recently had an interview for a position on a CCU/ICU (Coronary Critical Care Unit/Intensive Care Unit) floor and have another interview for an L&D (Labor and Delivery) position. I was offered an interview for a position on an Oncology unit, but I had enough oncology exposure during nursing school. I greatly admire oncology nurses, but I just don't have the heart for it.
I pray in the end that I get the job in the CCU/ICU department. The hospital is a level II trauma hospital, so I'll get exposure to a lot of neurological conditions and head traumas. They also do open heart surgery at the hospital as well. I think it would be an amazing learning opportunity and in the end I just want to experience it all. Not that the telemetry (heart monitoring) unit wouldn't be a good experience as well, but it is in a small hospital so I would be limited in the different cases that I could be exposed to. I'm not going to take the L&D job just because I'm not really passionate about the field. I mean, I find it interesting and there is always the "miracle of life" concept, but I'm really indifferent to the subject. I think it's my lack of experience in being pregnant that makes it hard for me to relate to the patients. Plus, there are soooo many nurses out there who go into nursing because they want to work in the L&D, that I would feel bad taking that opportunity away from them. Honestly, I took the interview because it would give me something to do during the day. It's hard to be home-alone and jobless... navy hubby is out-to-sea for two weeks.
Well, here's to prayers and keeping my fingers crossed. Unfortunately (damn I hate this economy sh*t), it will come down to $$$. With my husband getting out of the military in a few months and going to school, I will be taking over the majority of our expense and I need a job that will rival the salary that he is currently making if not exceed it. I hate money. I mean, I love what you can buy with, but the physical currency itself doesn't make one truly happy. I find that it can make life more stressful and complicated. Oh, to be a child without the concept of money and it's unfortunate, but vital necessity in our culture.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Best Day Ever!
"All your dreams can come true, if you have the courage to pursue them" - Walt Disney
If yesterday was the worst/scariest/most stressful day of my life, then today is definitely one of the top 10 best in my life! But a little background first....
I recently graduated from nursing school in May 2010 and yesterday I sat for the national boards licensure examination (NCLEX) for nursing so that I could obtain my state RN license. Even though I know I could have studied sooo much more than I did in preparation, I went into the test feeling good. I graduated from a college program with a 98% passing rate (first time testers) and had used Kaplan's strategy book and endless questions on Kaplan's Qbank to study. Many people have stated that they felt Kaplan's was a lot harder than the actual NCLEX, so I thought the test was going to be a breeze... boy, was I wrong! Maybe I was just off my game, but the NCLEX was sooo much harder than I thought... my own personal nightmare. I got to question 100 and I literally started to have a panic attack. Tachycardia, tachypnea, papitations, and everything went blurry in my head. By question 150, I asked to go to the bathroom for a break. I had to find some way to calm down, at least enough to finish the exam to whatever ends. I told myself that I just had to finish, even if I didn't pass. Well, the computer FINALLY cut me off at question 160-something... I had stopped counting. I walked out of the testing center relieved that I was done, but devastated with the belief that I had failed. I didn't want to let my family and friends down (everyone had been praying for my success), I didn't want to be the only person from my nursing program to have failed, but more importantly I didn't want to EVER have to relive the nightmare of taking the NCLEX again.
Well, I knew that Virginia board of nursing posts licenses the day after the exam, which is nice since some state BON's like California torture their nursing students by making them wait 6-7 WEEKS for results! So today I got the surprise of my life and the best news ever... I PASSED! There on the tiny screen of my smartphone was the VA BON's license verification website with MY name and license information!!! I'm offically an RN :)
Thanks to my husband, family, friends, and fellow RN-classmates for your love, support, and prayers! I am truly blessed to have such an amazing support system!
If yesterday was the worst/scariest/most stressful day of my life, then today is definitely one of the top 10 best in my life! But a little background first....
I recently graduated from nursing school in May 2010 and yesterday I sat for the national boards licensure examination (NCLEX) for nursing so that I could obtain my state RN license. Even though I know I could have studied sooo much more than I did in preparation, I went into the test feeling good. I graduated from a college program with a 98% passing rate (first time testers) and had used Kaplan's strategy book and endless questions on Kaplan's Qbank to study. Many people have stated that they felt Kaplan's was a lot harder than the actual NCLEX, so I thought the test was going to be a breeze... boy, was I wrong! Maybe I was just off my game, but the NCLEX was sooo much harder than I thought... my own personal nightmare. I got to question 100 and I literally started to have a panic attack. Tachycardia, tachypnea, papitations, and everything went blurry in my head. By question 150, I asked to go to the bathroom for a break. I had to find some way to calm down, at least enough to finish the exam to whatever ends. I told myself that I just had to finish, even if I didn't pass. Well, the computer FINALLY cut me off at question 160-something... I had stopped counting. I walked out of the testing center relieved that I was done, but devastated with the belief that I had failed. I didn't want to let my family and friends down (everyone had been praying for my success), I didn't want to be the only person from my nursing program to have failed, but more importantly I didn't want to EVER have to relive the nightmare of taking the NCLEX again.
Well, I knew that Virginia board of nursing posts licenses the day after the exam, which is nice since some state BON's like California torture their nursing students by making them wait 6-7 WEEKS for results! So today I got the surprise of my life and the best news ever... I PASSED! There on the tiny screen of my smartphone was the VA BON's license verification website with MY name and license information!!! I'm offically an RN :)
Thanks to my husband, family, friends, and fellow RN-classmates for your love, support, and prayers! I am truly blessed to have such an amazing support system!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
If at first you don't succeed... try, try again.
"One fails forward toward success" ~ Charles F. Kettering
I believe someone once said "Tomorrow is another day for opportunity". And my wise husband always tells me not to dwell on things that I cannot control or situations that I cannot change.
During the past year my husband and I have started a new business venture along side our daily jobs. I really wasn't supportive or sold on the idea at first, but soon I learned that it was not only a great opportunity to make some extra money, but to also meet amazing people. To put things simply, our business deals with selling products via an internet supplier. In order to get the products sold, you need customers. A sales strategy that we've been training to execute is making sales pitch to people via "grand openings"... you get a bunch of people together (or just one person) and show them some of the products, let them sample a few, etc. Kinda like the tupperware parties moms like to throw.
So I invited a few friends over and about 6 said that they would be available to come for an hour or so. I was sooo excited! I went shopping, bought food, cleaned the house in preparation for having guests. Two of our friends and mentors in the business were also coming to assist and support me. I really thought this was going to be successful.
Well, life happens unfortunately. Two of my friends bailed out on me and another had a family emergency (aka their kid was sick). So, as it turns out only two of my guests showed in the end and even my mentors couldn't make it because they were stuck in traffic. I felt bad that they were driving all the way from Virginia. It seemed like everything that could go wrong went wrong. I did the best I could trying to pitch the products with what I had (thankfully my husband gave me a little kit of stuff to give out). I felt mediocre and unprepared. It was embarrassing and upsetting. To make things worst, I was still upset about people apparently semi-committing so it was hard for me to keep a smile on my face. I just wanted to curl in a corner and die.
Sales and promotion is really not my level of expertise. I feel like I blunder when I speak and that I'm never prepared when people ask me questions. I don't want people to feel like I'm pushing them to buy from me or that they feel obligated to because we're family/friends/acquaintances. It's not where my confidence lies, but mainly because I lack the experience. I can put in a foley and clean out a patient's tracheostomy, but getting you to buy something is not easy for me. At least my two guests that came (my husband's cousin and her mom who is now his ex-aunt I guess) are family and I believe were genuinely interested in what I had to offer. I was touched and appreciative that they actually stood by their word and came out to support me. Even if they don't buy anything, it meant a lot to me that they came.
I hate the feeling of failure and it's hard for me to not dig myself into a ditch of self-pity and grief. But I am learning to stay positive and not beat myself up over it. If there is one thing starting this business and training has taught me is to not let your failures stop you or bring you down. You will go through many failures before you reach success, but at least you tried!
"The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed" ~ Lloyd Jones
How true those words are to me now and I wouldn't have appreciated such advise had I not experienced this day. I always thought that failing was the end. You're done. You suck. Try something else. It wasn't until today that the light-bulb lit up in my head... all those words people kept telling me finally made sense!
"There is no failure except in no longer trying. "
~ Elbert Hubbard
Tomorrow is always another day for opportunity!!!!
I believe someone once said "Tomorrow is another day for opportunity". And my wise husband always tells me not to dwell on things that I cannot control or situations that I cannot change.
During the past year my husband and I have started a new business venture along side our daily jobs. I really wasn't supportive or sold on the idea at first, but soon I learned that it was not only a great opportunity to make some extra money, but to also meet amazing people. To put things simply, our business deals with selling products via an internet supplier. In order to get the products sold, you need customers. A sales strategy that we've been training to execute is making sales pitch to people via "grand openings"... you get a bunch of people together (or just one person) and show them some of the products, let them sample a few, etc. Kinda like the tupperware parties moms like to throw.
So I invited a few friends over and about 6 said that they would be available to come for an hour or so. I was sooo excited! I went shopping, bought food, cleaned the house in preparation for having guests. Two of our friends and mentors in the business were also coming to assist and support me. I really thought this was going to be successful.
Well, life happens unfortunately. Two of my friends bailed out on me and another had a family emergency (aka their kid was sick). So, as it turns out only two of my guests showed in the end and even my mentors couldn't make it because they were stuck in traffic. I felt bad that they were driving all the way from Virginia. It seemed like everything that could go wrong went wrong. I did the best I could trying to pitch the products with what I had (thankfully my husband gave me a little kit of stuff to give out). I felt mediocre and unprepared. It was embarrassing and upsetting. To make things worst, I was still upset about people apparently semi-committing so it was hard for me to keep a smile on my face. I just wanted to curl in a corner and die.
Sales and promotion is really not my level of expertise. I feel like I blunder when I speak and that I'm never prepared when people ask me questions. I don't want people to feel like I'm pushing them to buy from me or that they feel obligated to because we're family/friends/acquaintances. It's not where my confidence lies, but mainly because I lack the experience. I can put in a foley and clean out a patient's tracheostomy, but getting you to buy something is not easy for me. At least my two guests that came (my husband's cousin and her mom who is now his ex-aunt I guess) are family and I believe were genuinely interested in what I had to offer. I was touched and appreciative that they actually stood by their word and came out to support me. Even if they don't buy anything, it meant a lot to me that they came.
I hate the feeling of failure and it's hard for me to not dig myself into a ditch of self-pity and grief. But I am learning to stay positive and not beat myself up over it. If there is one thing starting this business and training has taught me is to not let your failures stop you or bring you down. You will go through many failures before you reach success, but at least you tried!
"The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed" ~ Lloyd Jones
How true those words are to me now and I wouldn't have appreciated such advise had I not experienced this day. I always thought that failing was the end. You're done. You suck. Try something else. It wasn't until today that the light-bulb lit up in my head... all those words people kept telling me finally made sense!
"There is no failure except in no longer trying. "
~ Elbert Hubbard
Tomorrow is always another day for opportunity!!!!
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