Sometimes we can be blind or deaf in the midst of a blessing. And we don't even care what is happening around us because we have a job, a thing, or a schedule to catch up.
What an irony to pass up this kind of opportunity which seldom happened in our lives. But honestly, it happened all the time and it's really a sad thing to know about it.
This unique blog is a true story that I've read from another blog about a famous classical musician (world's famous young violinist Joshua Bell) who teamed-up with Washington Post to experiment about the meaning of "Perception" in our lives and I just wanted to share it to all of you.
Yes...... Life is always fluid, hectic, and spontaneous but we never stopped to appreciate the beauty of music that is rare around us eventhough it was already given to us for free. We even wanted to spend money to watch for a hundred or more dollar concert rather than the ones that was being played in the corners of the streets, a train station, mall lobbies, etc. (for free).
We tend to be immersed and engrossed with our busy schedules and forgot to appreciate the raw music that were being offered to us everywhere and we even neglected to recognize some of the key and important people (playing incognito in a public place) who were very famous because of our individual preoccupations, hang-ups, frustrations, and stressful situations.
Like Joshua Bell, a famous violinist who set out himself in a public place and experimented something in a Metro Train station in Washington DC.... he tried to pretend playing music in front of the train station's door and wasn't even recognized by some of the passersby and was even mistaken as a beggar playing music for money.
How appropriate to equate this situation with our individual lives? How insensitive that some of us could not appreciate about the beauty of raw music available to us for free? How immersed are we for our own individual hang ups? How embarrassing to know that everyone of us didn't appreciate the gift and benefits of music? A lot of how's and why's that we can only answer.
Here is a little story about that little experiment by Joshua Bell. Hope this will serve you a lesson. Thanks to "Gina of RoseThistleArtwork" for posting this on her blog. And I would like to share this to all my blog followers, too. A very touching story full of life's lessons. Hopefully, it will make us realize the beauty of music and savor the time to pause and amuse. Enjoy!
Note: Just click the link after you read the short story below about that little inspiring experiment. Thanks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMyXfdk_Fp8
"....... Something To Think About.........."
Washington, DC Metro Station: On a cold January morning in 2007, a handsome young man with a shiny wooden violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: A woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.
45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and people's priorities.
The questions raised:
*In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
*Do we stop to appreciate it?
*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.
How many other things are we missing?
I love this story and I hope you enjoyed reading it, too. Thank you for your continued patronage. May this serve as a lesson to us to appreciate music even in the most unwanted places and inopportune time.. Thanks again!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
2010 Winter Olympics Flaws (Part 1)
What's the hype nowadays? Well, of course the XXI Winter Olympics which was officially opened last Friday, February 12, 2010 in British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Amidst the hype the competition officially opened with a much talked opening ceremony with a lot of flaws.
Watching the rerun of the opening ceremony from my DVR several times I can say that it is still memorable and formidable rather than forgettable. But could not match the pomp and the excitement offered by the Chinese during the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
Well, every olympics has their own indelible mark that could not be forgotten be it a flaw or a perfection. And this recent winter olympics has its few indelible flaws that were already been inked in the annals of olympic history be it a summer or winter olympics.
Firstly, the death of a 21-year-old Georgian luger made this celebration a little more unforgettable. This means that accidents couldn't really be avoided. I think Nodar Kumaritashvili's death was the sacrifice of doing this beinnial event. It was such an unfortunate fate for him and the whole olympic participants including his countrymen had mourned heavily for his early demise during the pre-practice event.
This means that the ice track was not really been seriously and safely checked and quality controoled for the safety of the players. Have the organizers anticipated to pad all the corners and post of the luge ice track this tragic situation should have been avoided. It was already too late to act now now that the track had claimed the life of this young gifted Georgian luger. What a waste really!
Secondly, during the opening games I can't help noticing that most of the singers were lipsynching including that young 17-year-old girl who sang the "Oh Canada" anthem. Even Natalie Furtado and Bryan Adams who opened the program celebration were also been found to be lipsynching. The only singer who I didn't noticed lipsynching was Sarah McLachlan.... such a very talented singer though. My hat"s off for her very excellent performance.
Thirdly, also on the opening ceremony I noticed that the presentation was not on par. They let all the aboriginal Indians gyrate and jump on the stage first to gave way for the welcome parade of the participants from the different nations that had participated. And the Totem poles that stood in the middle of the stage appeared like slender ice zombies or in extreme comparison like a tall standing dildos in the center stage. It looks so funny to look at on television. I honestly mean it. Hehehe.
Fourthly, during the lighting of the Olympic flame in the middle of the stage one of the four cauldrons that's supposed to be lighted didn't come out because of a technical and engineering error. It was supposed to be a surprise that the Canadians were planning to light four cauldrons to be lighted by the four famous players from British Columbia but it was really obvious that one of the cauldrons hasn't came out thereby leaving only three of it being lighted.
But despite of the dramatic presentation of the olympic cauldrons to be lighted the flaw wasn't really been noticed that well until Wayne Gretzky aka "The Great One" had lighted the second cauldron (main Olympic cauldron) near downtown Vancouver which will remain to be lighted and seen as the games continued until its culmination. The one that happened at the stadium was almost been perfect until the second one was seen being lighted.
Another flaw (the fifth one) I noticed was during the short track 1500 meter final race when two Korean players collided with each other near the finish line giving skaters Apolo Anton Ohno and J.R. Celski of the United States the benefit of winning the silver and bronze medal respectively.
It was supposed to be a perfect medal sweep for the Koreans if this shameful collision hasn't occured. But with their being so greedy at each other they were probably hexed to not win it and handed the two coveted medals to the medal hungry Americans. Well, at least their compatriot Lee Jung-su won the gold medal though. What a shame for the Koreans!
The sixth flaw taht I've seen happened during the pairs figure skating short and long programs. Well, actually it was a flawless performance for that sweet Chinese couple (husband and wife) to win the gold medal which evaded them for eighteen long years hadn't they came out from retirement and skated for the last time to skate for the gold. Their compatriots also had won the coveted silver medal while the German pair won the bronze.
This winning by the Chinese pair skaters had ended the monopoly of the Russians in the figure skating pairs which stretched for more than two decades. The Russians didn't even qualified for the medal contention and had devastatingly fell on their long program performance. What an embarrassment for them really!
I was happy that indeed the Chinese won the gold medal. It was a sweet success for them to add that medal among their array of international competition medal collections after skating for almost eighteen years. I was really happy and rooting for them to win.
The seventh flaw I noticed was the constant reporting of the United States female skier named Lindsey Vonn about her shin injury that made her unfit to ski for the alpine skiing. Well, to me I think this report was too overrated and was been hyped by the media because of the woman's provocative pose on Sports Illustrated swimsuit collection last year.
Well, how could she claim to have an injured and sore shin if she had won the alpine ski downhill during one of her competitions and still will ski during the slaloms and the super-G's? Such hype and overratedness really! I just can't stand it. Just because she's pretty? I mean the woman is really drop dead gorgeous and talented but what's the fuss about her injuries? Duh!
The eighth flaw I have noticed was the hype about another Lindsey. Now this one was about that female snowboarder named Lindsey Jacobellis who was apparently been maligned for her premature decision to make an exhibition during her Turin, Italy Olympic snowboard race which almost granted her a gold medal if she had not made that premature decision to boast which made her fell greatly on the snow covered hill and cost her to lose the gold medal contention because of her immaturity and had landed her the silver medal instead.
Now on this recent Olympic she was disqualified because of her idiotic move where she made to block one of her opponent's way during the semifinal run. What a loser really! Now she was heard all over the place sour graping about her disqualification and had put her on a spot where her last name was been included in the pages of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary which apparently and disgracingly means "a sore loser." Whaaat? Is that really a word? Jacobellism...... meaning a sore loser? Wow!
Another flaw I noticed was about this hype about a male Russian figure skater named Yevgeny Plushenko. I mean this guy is a complete airhead. He got out of retirement to skate with the goal of winning the second gold medal. But his strategy right now appeared to me as a degrading and very intimidating move. I really don't like this guy. I hope he fell on his long program and cost him a huge deduction from his scores. I just can't probably help laughing in my room seeing him fell.
With what he said against his rivals which anybody can't probably stomach I hope it will really come back, bounce back, and hit him hard. Well, I still really believe in karma. And hope this will happen to him big time. Celebrating prematurely will bring him more bad luck. He even had bad mouthed some of his opponents that they were performing below par and that he was the unbeatable and the most decorated male figure skater. To hell with you Yevgeny! You and your bad mouth.
Speaking of another male figure skater well, I have another one on mind. There's this American weird figure skater named Johnny Weir. Noticed the last name? If you add a letter D on the last name that really make him a weird guy. Hahaha. But the fuss about this flambouyant figure skater was his dramatic-spur-of-the-moment-provocative fashion which even put him in danger.
Lately, he was been mobbed because of his furred costume during the US Nationals which prompted the animal activist PETA to question his intentions and mobbed him with questions and threats which eventually put him in the spotlight and hot water. Now, he has to protect himself against the threats and from harm by hiring security guards to protect him. Really funny! Hahaha.
Another hype that I couldn't stomach was about this American snowboarder dubbed as the "flying tomato". Well, what the fuss about him? I mean this guy is very talented and smart but the hype about him was very overrated.
I mean the media really fueled it on primetime television. The guy is even low key and never boast but the media really hyped it up. I like the guy no offense but I just hated the media putting fire on a cold ember. Good thing Shawn White remained amiable and had proved that the hype was true which made him won the much coveted gold medal. Kudos to you mister!
Well, the first week of the games had gone by and there's still two more weeks of flaw-rich-performances to emerge in the coming days and to be critiqued by no other than me. So, I hope you will remain glued on my blogsite and I will try my very best to keep you updated despite of my very hectic work schedule. I also hoped you can keep up by also reading some of the online news about the games. I think they have a site online named Vancouver Home which can offer you fresh news from the Olympic site.
Ah well, just keep back and relax and wait for my next installment. When will that be? That I don't know but I promise there will be part two. Hehehe. Booooooo........
P.S.
Well, I just wanted to make a note of my prediction to win the men's figure skating final on Thursday. I am really rooting for that Japanese guy named Daisuke Takahashi. I mean the guy is so flawless. He has finesse and grace. His skating is full of passion, drama, and emotions. I am always drawn to how he skated. His story is even very compelling. It really bleeds my heart. Go Daisuke!
Watching the rerun of the opening ceremony from my DVR several times I can say that it is still memorable and formidable rather than forgettable. But could not match the pomp and the excitement offered by the Chinese during the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
Well, every olympics has their own indelible mark that could not be forgotten be it a flaw or a perfection. And this recent winter olympics has its few indelible flaws that were already been inked in the annals of olympic history be it a summer or winter olympics.
Firstly, the death of a 21-year-old Georgian luger made this celebration a little more unforgettable. This means that accidents couldn't really be avoided. I think Nodar Kumaritashvili's death was the sacrifice of doing this beinnial event. It was such an unfortunate fate for him and the whole olympic participants including his countrymen had mourned heavily for his early demise during the pre-practice event.
This means that the ice track was not really been seriously and safely checked and quality controoled for the safety of the players. Have the organizers anticipated to pad all the corners and post of the luge ice track this tragic situation should have been avoided. It was already too late to act now now that the track had claimed the life of this young gifted Georgian luger. What a waste really!
Secondly, during the opening games I can't help noticing that most of the singers were lipsynching including that young 17-year-old girl who sang the "Oh Canada" anthem. Even Natalie Furtado and Bryan Adams who opened the program celebration were also been found to be lipsynching. The only singer who I didn't noticed lipsynching was Sarah McLachlan.... such a very talented singer though. My hat"s off for her very excellent performance.
Thirdly, also on the opening ceremony I noticed that the presentation was not on par. They let all the aboriginal Indians gyrate and jump on the stage first to gave way for the welcome parade of the participants from the different nations that had participated. And the Totem poles that stood in the middle of the stage appeared like slender ice zombies or in extreme comparison like a tall standing dildos in the center stage. It looks so funny to look at on television. I honestly mean it. Hehehe.
Fourthly, during the lighting of the Olympic flame in the middle of the stage one of the four cauldrons that's supposed to be lighted didn't come out because of a technical and engineering error. It was supposed to be a surprise that the Canadians were planning to light four cauldrons to be lighted by the four famous players from British Columbia but it was really obvious that one of the cauldrons hasn't came out thereby leaving only three of it being lighted.
But despite of the dramatic presentation of the olympic cauldrons to be lighted the flaw wasn't really been noticed that well until Wayne Gretzky aka "The Great One" had lighted the second cauldron (main Olympic cauldron) near downtown Vancouver which will remain to be lighted and seen as the games continued until its culmination. The one that happened at the stadium was almost been perfect until the second one was seen being lighted.
Another flaw (the fifth one) I noticed was during the short track 1500 meter final race when two Korean players collided with each other near the finish line giving skaters Apolo Anton Ohno and J.R. Celski of the United States the benefit of winning the silver and bronze medal respectively.
It was supposed to be a perfect medal sweep for the Koreans if this shameful collision hasn't occured. But with their being so greedy at each other they were probably hexed to not win it and handed the two coveted medals to the medal hungry Americans. Well, at least their compatriot Lee Jung-su won the gold medal though. What a shame for the Koreans!
The sixth flaw taht I've seen happened during the pairs figure skating short and long programs. Well, actually it was a flawless performance for that sweet Chinese couple (husband and wife) to win the gold medal which evaded them for eighteen long years hadn't they came out from retirement and skated for the last time to skate for the gold. Their compatriots also had won the coveted silver medal while the German pair won the bronze.
This winning by the Chinese pair skaters had ended the monopoly of the Russians in the figure skating pairs which stretched for more than two decades. The Russians didn't even qualified for the medal contention and had devastatingly fell on their long program performance. What an embarrassment for them really!
I was happy that indeed the Chinese won the gold medal. It was a sweet success for them to add that medal among their array of international competition medal collections after skating for almost eighteen years. I was really happy and rooting for them to win.
The seventh flaw I noticed was the constant reporting of the United States female skier named Lindsey Vonn about her shin injury that made her unfit to ski for the alpine skiing. Well, to me I think this report was too overrated and was been hyped by the media because of the woman's provocative pose on Sports Illustrated swimsuit collection last year.
Well, how could she claim to have an injured and sore shin if she had won the alpine ski downhill during one of her competitions and still will ski during the slaloms and the super-G's? Such hype and overratedness really! I just can't stand it. Just because she's pretty? I mean the woman is really drop dead gorgeous and talented but what's the fuss about her injuries? Duh!
The eighth flaw I have noticed was the hype about another Lindsey. Now this one was about that female snowboarder named Lindsey Jacobellis who was apparently been maligned for her premature decision to make an exhibition during her Turin, Italy Olympic snowboard race which almost granted her a gold medal if she had not made that premature decision to boast which made her fell greatly on the snow covered hill and cost her to lose the gold medal contention because of her immaturity and had landed her the silver medal instead.
Now on this recent Olympic she was disqualified because of her idiotic move where she made to block one of her opponent's way during the semifinal run. What a loser really! Now she was heard all over the place sour graping about her disqualification and had put her on a spot where her last name was been included in the pages of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary which apparently and disgracingly means "a sore loser." Whaaat? Is that really a word? Jacobellism...... meaning a sore loser? Wow!
Another flaw I noticed was about this hype about a male Russian figure skater named Yevgeny Plushenko. I mean this guy is a complete airhead. He got out of retirement to skate with the goal of winning the second gold medal. But his strategy right now appeared to me as a degrading and very intimidating move. I really don't like this guy. I hope he fell on his long program and cost him a huge deduction from his scores. I just can't probably help laughing in my room seeing him fell.
With what he said against his rivals which anybody can't probably stomach I hope it will really come back, bounce back, and hit him hard. Well, I still really believe in karma. And hope this will happen to him big time. Celebrating prematurely will bring him more bad luck. He even had bad mouthed some of his opponents that they were performing below par and that he was the unbeatable and the most decorated male figure skater. To hell with you Yevgeny! You and your bad mouth.
Speaking of another male figure skater well, I have another one on mind. There's this American weird figure skater named Johnny Weir. Noticed the last name? If you add a letter D on the last name that really make him a weird guy. Hahaha. But the fuss about this flambouyant figure skater was his dramatic-spur-of-the-moment-provocative fashion which even put him in danger.
Lately, he was been mobbed because of his furred costume during the US Nationals which prompted the animal activist PETA to question his intentions and mobbed him with questions and threats which eventually put him in the spotlight and hot water. Now, he has to protect himself against the threats and from harm by hiring security guards to protect him. Really funny! Hahaha.
Another hype that I couldn't stomach was about this American snowboarder dubbed as the "flying tomato". Well, what the fuss about him? I mean this guy is very talented and smart but the hype about him was very overrated.
I mean the media really fueled it on primetime television. The guy is even low key and never boast but the media really hyped it up. I like the guy no offense but I just hated the media putting fire on a cold ember. Good thing Shawn White remained amiable and had proved that the hype was true which made him won the much coveted gold medal. Kudos to you mister!
Well, the first week of the games had gone by and there's still two more weeks of flaw-rich-performances to emerge in the coming days and to be critiqued by no other than me. So, I hope you will remain glued on my blogsite and I will try my very best to keep you updated despite of my very hectic work schedule. I also hoped you can keep up by also reading some of the online news about the games. I think they have a site online named Vancouver Home which can offer you fresh news from the Olympic site.
Ah well, just keep back and relax and wait for my next installment. When will that be? That I don't know but I promise there will be part two. Hehehe. Booooooo........
P.S.
Well, I just wanted to make a note of my prediction to win the men's figure skating final on Thursday. I am really rooting for that Japanese guy named Daisuke Takahashi. I mean the guy is so flawless. He has finesse and grace. His skating is full of passion, drama, and emotions. I am always drawn to how he skated. His story is even very compelling. It really bleeds my heart. Go Daisuke!
Friday, February 12, 2010
Humour To The Max
Life is always full of negative and positive energies. And this made life not any easier. So in order to balance it humor is the best medicine as they say.
Humor or humour can ease a depressive state. It makes our body get rid of the angst and apprehensions a person had experienced. It makes you forget that life has its downhill. It ups someone's spirits and makes someone feel great. Sometimes we need humor to spice up our life.
For me I tried to always look for something amusing to humor at. I am naturally a very happy-go-lucky person and as much as possible I can crack up a joke with much fluency at a spur of a moment at times. May be that's my innate talent.
Life is always boring without humor. People needs to inspire life with humor in order not to get old faster. Humor stimulates some endorphins and catecholamines in your body that help makes your body fight against the risks for the occurence of diseases and stimulates your body to form antibodies to fight off infections.
Humor is equated to a laughter. Sometimes it is compared to a joke. Some considered it as a comical act. No matter how you interpret it, it's purpose is to make life longer or believed to prolong someone's existence.
It can prevent the occurence of wrinkles because it can stretch some of the creases that can occur on the face. It's always known as the best medicine for aging which is also supported by a lot of researchers. And to that I always supported such claims.
We always have to make sure that our life should always be balanced. Life could be distressing sometimes but we should always act appropriately in fighting all those harsh stimulus that can affect our life and make us depressed, bored, distressed, etc. And the answer to that is the proper usage of humor.
Sometimes, to some humor can be an offense...... what I mean can offend a person. Something humorous to an individual can be entirely repulsive to some. So for this, we have to be careful who to humor at sometimes because we don't know it might be insulting, offensive, or repulsive to that person.
We always have to consider every persons beliefs, cultural background, and their personal experiences because we don't know if they will get insulted with the humor you cracked up. We must always be sensitive and rational enough when to use humor at.
There are different types of humor. There's soft and hard core humor. It's just like a minor and a major comic. So the less funny and not so sexual is considered soft core and the opposite should be the hard core. Sometimes there is green, blonde, and bland humor. And sometimes it will go to extremely sexual humor.
Many theories exist about what humor is and what social function it serves. It would be very difficult to explain humor to a hypothetical person who did not have themselves a sense of humor already. In fact, to such person humor would appear to be quite strange if not outright irrational behavior.
Vast majority of some psychological theories consider humor to be a form of a healthy behavior. There are spiritual theories which may for instance consider humor as a "gift from God". There are also theories that consider humor to be an unexplainable mystery, very much like a mystical experience.
To experience the full benefit of humor a person must possess a sense of humor. A sense of humor is the ability to experience humour, although the extent to which an individual will find something humorous depends on a lot of host variables which includes geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education, intelligence, and context.
So in order to make your life more complete always give way for humor to color your life. Humor will not only make you happy but also makes you any younger. I think there's no existing fountain of youth as they say. But as I believed it, humor can prevent you from getting older.
And this belief really had made sense to me at all..... hehehe. Enjoy and cherish humour everyday as you celebrate the day of the heart. Happy Valentine's Day to one and all!
Humor or humour can ease a depressive state. It makes our body get rid of the angst and apprehensions a person had experienced. It makes you forget that life has its downhill. It ups someone's spirits and makes someone feel great. Sometimes we need humor to spice up our life.
For me I tried to always look for something amusing to humor at. I am naturally a very happy-go-lucky person and as much as possible I can crack up a joke with much fluency at a spur of a moment at times. May be that's my innate talent.
Life is always boring without humor. People needs to inspire life with humor in order not to get old faster. Humor stimulates some endorphins and catecholamines in your body that help makes your body fight against the risks for the occurence of diseases and stimulates your body to form antibodies to fight off infections.
Humor is equated to a laughter. Sometimes it is compared to a joke. Some considered it as a comical act. No matter how you interpret it, it's purpose is to make life longer or believed to prolong someone's existence.
It can prevent the occurence of wrinkles because it can stretch some of the creases that can occur on the face. It's always known as the best medicine for aging which is also supported by a lot of researchers. And to that I always supported such claims.
We always have to make sure that our life should always be balanced. Life could be distressing sometimes but we should always act appropriately in fighting all those harsh stimulus that can affect our life and make us depressed, bored, distressed, etc. And the answer to that is the proper usage of humor.
Sometimes, to some humor can be an offense...... what I mean can offend a person. Something humorous to an individual can be entirely repulsive to some. So for this, we have to be careful who to humor at sometimes because we don't know it might be insulting, offensive, or repulsive to that person.
We always have to consider every persons beliefs, cultural background, and their personal experiences because we don't know if they will get insulted with the humor you cracked up. We must always be sensitive and rational enough when to use humor at.
There are different types of humor. There's soft and hard core humor. It's just like a minor and a major comic. So the less funny and not so sexual is considered soft core and the opposite should be the hard core. Sometimes there is green, blonde, and bland humor. And sometimes it will go to extremely sexual humor.
Many theories exist about what humor is and what social function it serves. It would be very difficult to explain humor to a hypothetical person who did not have themselves a sense of humor already. In fact, to such person humor would appear to be quite strange if not outright irrational behavior.
Vast majority of some psychological theories consider humor to be a form of a healthy behavior. There are spiritual theories which may for instance consider humor as a "gift from God". There are also theories that consider humor to be an unexplainable mystery, very much like a mystical experience.
To experience the full benefit of humor a person must possess a sense of humor. A sense of humor is the ability to experience humour, although the extent to which an individual will find something humorous depends on a lot of host variables which includes geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education, intelligence, and context.
So in order to make your life more complete always give way for humor to color your life. Humor will not only make you happy but also makes you any younger. I think there's no existing fountain of youth as they say. But as I believed it, humor can prevent you from getting older.
And this belief really had made sense to me at all..... hehehe. Enjoy and cherish humour everyday as you celebrate the day of the heart. Happy Valentine's Day to one and all!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Equality Should be Universal
Well, things at my hospital work and school work right now are getting so sticky. I mean the work is okay but mingling with unreal people around is giving me some bad aura. It takes a lot of effort to put on a happy face because most of them practically were very superficial.
You know the feeling if you are in a situation where people around you were real or unreal especially when it comes to maintaining a close knit interaction and relationship with them. I can smell competition everywhere. It seems that I acted as plastic instead of them acting like it.
Like in my school job, some of my co-teachers are not even very approachable. One time I'd asked one of my co-teacher if she can lend me her instructional materials for an Anatomy and Physiology lecture. You know what she told me? "Well, you have to make your own, I did mine with a lot of hardwork so you have to work hard for your own.", she said. Like uh.... excuse me!
I was so shocked and was really got offended with that very blunt comment. The reason I asked her about it was because my Director-of-Nursing told me to just borrow it from her because he had lend her some of the slides before. I know she took some of her Powerpoint slides from our Director-of-Nursing and she has the knack to tell me that she had worked hard for it. Well, it's really hard to please people around nowadays.
I am a person who believes that whatever goes around will come around. And for this, I firmly believed that there is always a time that what she did to me will come back to her in any form. I am not being vindictive about it but it really irked and annoyed me a lot.
I know it offended me a little bit, had pierced my ego quite a bit, but I was just trying to be nice in approaching her, and she was not even that nice to me. I thought we are supposed to help each other around in school but I had proven it wrong. I shouldn't have made such gesture in the first place.
It was really a big mistake for me to have had approached her. So maybe next time, I have to be careful. I had learned my lessons from that situation and hopefully next time I'll be more sensitive to what will be the consequences of my actions and for what will be happening around me.
On the otherhand, at my hospital work it's even worse. My supervisor always sneaked in our work and trying to embarrass us in front on the patient's folks. I mean this is a blatant degradation and insult of our own work performance, dignity, and personal capacities as a nurse.
She was very mean to us everytime we made rounds and do our bedside reports. She always talks to us in a sarcastic manner and I couldn't even think of any single event or situation that I had provoked or challenged her to be mean at us. May be she just need or is lacking of getting and being laid because there's no such moments that she's not very irritable and in the mood of offending us all the time when she talks at us.
One time she called me in the playroom and told me that I did the procedure wrong or I gave the wrong medicine at a patient so she needs to write me up for it. I asked her if where did I go wrong and she couldn't even tell me right in front of my face.
All I know is I didn't do anything to cause harm to my patient. I was already extremely fuming that time so I asked her if she's just picking on me because I am Asian and gay. I told her if she do it again I have to complain to the Union about her being discriminatory at me.
I told her that I am trying my best to offer good services for my clients and not getting offended and berated in front of them. I took my profession for four damn painful years and not to be berated and degraded as if I am just a piece of shit in front of my patients.
I also told her that if she ever do that again I will write her up and complain her to the administration and the union. After that she was super nice at me. She probably didn't expected that I will retaliate against her and gave her an ultimatum about that big time.
Well, I was so full that time and I couln't even held on to my anger that's why my fury had erupted that time. I mean if I am in the right position I have to voice my own right and not to be stepped upon. I have a lot of doses of those kind of situations already in my entire career and life where I am being belittled and stepped on but I just kept my cool and blow it off if I get full of it.
I am a very quiet person but if somebody will rip me off of my rights then that's another story. I mean we are all human and people has their own personality but I mean we are created to harmonized not to envy at each other. I just can't get it why some people have the knack to hurt other people's feelings.
Our world is a very diverse place. We encountered a lot of people everyday and we should know how to act nicely and professionally in every situations because in the eyes of God we are all the same. Nobody is superior than anybody. And nobody has the right to step with somebody's rights. We are all equal and we have the same equal rights to live by, enjoy, and cherish.
Mingling with people is always hard but we have to learn to be sensitive of anybody's existence. Whatever color, race, or ethnicity you are we are all created equal. We shared the same bread (manna) in the eye's of God and nobody has the biggest piece of that bread (manna). Everybody has equal pieces of that bread and it's up for us to spend or use that chunk of bread that we got or inherited from God.
We should always remember that equality is universal and it should happen anywhere we go. There is really no person who can outshine another. We should be of the same level and we should be in good harmony with each other. And we always remember the saying; "No man is an island." And this further solidify our being connected with each other.
Hopefully, it would be a better place if this thing happens all the time. No competition, no giving offenses, no jealousy should happen anywhere and anytime. Life should be of equal importance no matter what kind of power or influence you have. "Life is always a stage and we do or create our own drama all the time."
You know the feeling if you are in a situation where people around you were real or unreal especially when it comes to maintaining a close knit interaction and relationship with them. I can smell competition everywhere. It seems that I acted as plastic instead of them acting like it.
Like in my school job, some of my co-teachers are not even very approachable. One time I'd asked one of my co-teacher if she can lend me her instructional materials for an Anatomy and Physiology lecture. You know what she told me? "Well, you have to make your own, I did mine with a lot of hardwork so you have to work hard for your own.", she said. Like uh.... excuse me!
I was so shocked and was really got offended with that very blunt comment. The reason I asked her about it was because my Director-of-Nursing told me to just borrow it from her because he had lend her some of the slides before. I know she took some of her Powerpoint slides from our Director-of-Nursing and she has the knack to tell me that she had worked hard for it. Well, it's really hard to please people around nowadays.
I am a person who believes that whatever goes around will come around. And for this, I firmly believed that there is always a time that what she did to me will come back to her in any form. I am not being vindictive about it but it really irked and annoyed me a lot.
I know it offended me a little bit, had pierced my ego quite a bit, but I was just trying to be nice in approaching her, and she was not even that nice to me. I thought we are supposed to help each other around in school but I had proven it wrong. I shouldn't have made such gesture in the first place.
It was really a big mistake for me to have had approached her. So maybe next time, I have to be careful. I had learned my lessons from that situation and hopefully next time I'll be more sensitive to what will be the consequences of my actions and for what will be happening around me.
On the otherhand, at my hospital work it's even worse. My supervisor always sneaked in our work and trying to embarrass us in front on the patient's folks. I mean this is a blatant degradation and insult of our own work performance, dignity, and personal capacities as a nurse.
She was very mean to us everytime we made rounds and do our bedside reports. She always talks to us in a sarcastic manner and I couldn't even think of any single event or situation that I had provoked or challenged her to be mean at us. May be she just need or is lacking of getting and being laid because there's no such moments that she's not very irritable and in the mood of offending us all the time when she talks at us.
One time she called me in the playroom and told me that I did the procedure wrong or I gave the wrong medicine at a patient so she needs to write me up for it. I asked her if where did I go wrong and she couldn't even tell me right in front of my face.
All I know is I didn't do anything to cause harm to my patient. I was already extremely fuming that time so I asked her if she's just picking on me because I am Asian and gay. I told her if she do it again I have to complain to the Union about her being discriminatory at me.
I told her that I am trying my best to offer good services for my clients and not getting offended and berated in front of them. I took my profession for four damn painful years and not to be berated and degraded as if I am just a piece of shit in front of my patients.
I also told her that if she ever do that again I will write her up and complain her to the administration and the union. After that she was super nice at me. She probably didn't expected that I will retaliate against her and gave her an ultimatum about that big time.
Well, I was so full that time and I couln't even held on to my anger that's why my fury had erupted that time. I mean if I am in the right position I have to voice my own right and not to be stepped upon. I have a lot of doses of those kind of situations already in my entire career and life where I am being belittled and stepped on but I just kept my cool and blow it off if I get full of it.
I am a very quiet person but if somebody will rip me off of my rights then that's another story. I mean we are all human and people has their own personality but I mean we are created to harmonized not to envy at each other. I just can't get it why some people have the knack to hurt other people's feelings.
Our world is a very diverse place. We encountered a lot of people everyday and we should know how to act nicely and professionally in every situations because in the eyes of God we are all the same. Nobody is superior than anybody. And nobody has the right to step with somebody's rights. We are all equal and we have the same equal rights to live by, enjoy, and cherish.
Mingling with people is always hard but we have to learn to be sensitive of anybody's existence. Whatever color, race, or ethnicity you are we are all created equal. We shared the same bread (manna) in the eye's of God and nobody has the biggest piece of that bread (manna). Everybody has equal pieces of that bread and it's up for us to spend or use that chunk of bread that we got or inherited from God.
We should always remember that equality is universal and it should happen anywhere we go. There is really no person who can outshine another. We should be of the same level and we should be in good harmony with each other. And we always remember the saying; "No man is an island." And this further solidify our being connected with each other.
Hopefully, it would be a better place if this thing happens all the time. No competition, no giving offenses, no jealousy should happen anywhere and anytime. Life should be of equal importance no matter what kind of power or influence you have. "Life is always a stage and we do or create our own drama all the time."
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Had A Good Saturday Off
It was Saturday at around 3 pm when I woke up feeling well recharged from a six hour long sleep. It felt so good after waking up. The sun had just came out after two days of heavy raining here in Southern California. It's really nice to go out and feel this not so cold weather.
I worked last night for just one day and went home very tired. When I got out of the hospital it was raining hard and the streets outside the hospital were flooded a little bit probably because of the clogged drainage system around downtown Los Angeles where my hospital is located.
The freeways on my way home was also packed because of the slow traffic on that early morning commute on my way home. I exited on Vermont Avenue from Freeway 101 a.k.a. Hollywood Freeway and decided to pass by Goodah Restaurant to buy my early morning breakfast of "Tocino-Sinangag-at-Itlog" because I am not in the mood of cooking a breakfast and just wanted to sleep after eating.
It was still raining when I went home and didn't even know when the sun came out because I was sleeping the whole day. The cold also had helped me fell asleep after I laid down on my soft bed after eating the breakfast that I bought. And I didn't even have any idea what were happening outside that cold and sleep inducing room that I had. When I woke up and went out to my living room it was already bright, because the sun had came out already, compared to the dark and gloomy surroundings I've been used these previous days.
I immediately took a shower and changed because I needed to do some very important errands today. Actually, I was off today so I intended to just carry out some of the errands that I had stalled these previous weeks. I hoped it won't be a drag to have done all these errands all at once. I was crossing my fingers.
But before doing the errands I decided to load some of my work scrubs at the washing machine then waited for it to finish then I loaded it in the dryer then left to carry out all the errands I needed to accomplish that time.
The first thing that I did was stop by at my bank at Larchmont area and wire a money transfer at my account in the Philippines to pay for the two condominiums that I bought there while it is still early so that it will arrive there before the due date. It will be due every 17th of the month so in order to save my time I decided to do it early rather than to be late with my payments.
When I got out of the bank I spotted a Pinkberry store across the street. So I decided to cross the street and went in the cafe to check out what they had. I decided to order a small frozen yogurt on a cup with sliced mango, kiwi, and pineapple fruits, strawberry and blueberry, topped with cinnamon granolas and dried shredded coconuts.
I then took a sit at one of the table and enjoyed my treat. It was good and very yummy. It's just like eating an ambrosia fruit salad. I felt I was in Mt. Olympus eating with the Gods. Hahaha.... It was soooo delicious! At least the treat was a healthy choice as well as it has low in calories. It was really so good!
After I was done I crossed the street and went back to the bank's parking lot where I parked my car then headed to a Korean Supermarket in Koreatown to buy some of my groceries. I bought some fruits, bag of brown rice (I prefer this rice because it is very rich in Vitamin B which I needed for my nerves and brain), drinks, and also some frozen and microwavable foods for my snack at work (my freezer is already empty).
After I got out of the grocery store I passed by at the nearby Post Office at 3rd Street and Western Avenue to mail the DVD of my mom's burial that I promised my uncle from Guam, Also since it was his birthday on the 16th I also mailed a birthday card for him along with the DVD. Then I went home to drop off all the groceries that I bought.
When I got home I loaded all the grocery bags and stuffed some of it inside the fridge then I went at the back of the house to check on the scrubs that I loaded in the dryer earlier, folded them, and tucked them inside the closet.
At around 5:30 pm I realized that I already finished some of my errands so I decided to go to The Grove Mall and decided to watch a movie since it was already been a long time that I haven't watched a movie. I decided to watch the movie Legion but it will not come out until 7 pm so I was forced to look for an alternative one. I decided to watch Dear John instead which starred Channing Tatum and that girl from Mama Mia.
Actually, the movie was a good one. I didn't even regret that I chose to watch it though it was a very poignant movie yet it was good. It's just like the movie Notebook based on Nicolas Sparks movie. It was a love story full of winning moments and life's lessons. I was really touched about the plot and the story.
When I got out of the movie I was very very hungry. Well, I haven't had lunch that's why. I remembered that French restaurant I used to frequent when I lived in Koreatown before. So I decided to leave the mall and drove all the way to Sunset Junction on the other side of the town. I drove for seven miles to just quench my longing for a French cuisine.
When I got to the area where that French restaurant was located it all turned out that they were close on a Saturday so in my frustration and hunger at that moment I decided to turn around and just decided to eat at The Kitchen restaurant which is just about five blocks from that French restaurant. Good thing the restaurant was open or else I don't know what to do if it's close.
I ordered a butter fried seabass with capers and chopped basil leaves on a white Jasmin rice and grilled asparagus. It was a very delicious plate I ordered and I enjoyed it with a glass of Moscato d'Asti wine. It's been a long time that I haven't had a dinner like this. I really missed my bestfriend Kuya George who used to dine with me before.
But things have changed now so here I am dining alone by myself. I get used to it already though. It was just quite embarrasing though because some of the diners there comes in couple or groups while I was alone on my table. Some of them were staring and looking at me enjoying and cherishing my dinner while scanning Facebook from my iPhone.
After the dinner I paid the bill and left the restaurant. I decided to pass by at the nearby Walgreens Store near 6th Street and Vermont Avenue to buy the Valentine gift bag for our Valentine exchange gift at work and some of my toilet papers, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and soap bars because I remembered that I am almost running of those. Then after that I headed home because I still have to prepare some of the things that I needed for my clinicals tomorrow.
It was a very relaxing Saturday off I had although it was just for a few hours but I get to watch a movie, dine out and also did some of my errands and chores. It was a productive one day off and I really enjoyed it. It was a fun day for me after doing all those tiresome and stressful drudgeries these previous days and weeks.
Aaah...... how I wish everyday is my day off so that I could do all those things that I had stalled to be done in the future. But things just needed to be set aside and accomplished at a later time to accomodate for the ones that are new.
Hopefully, things will be okay for me and that I won't stress and tire myself out. How I wish I could have a superpower and just do all of these things at a snap of a finger. But everything has it's own price and having those superpowers entails more responsibility. I'd rather stay the same and I'm taking back what I've said earlier......hehehe. It was just a wish and hope it won't happen.
I worked last night for just one day and went home very tired. When I got out of the hospital it was raining hard and the streets outside the hospital were flooded a little bit probably because of the clogged drainage system around downtown Los Angeles where my hospital is located.
The freeways on my way home was also packed because of the slow traffic on that early morning commute on my way home. I exited on Vermont Avenue from Freeway 101 a.k.a. Hollywood Freeway and decided to pass by Goodah Restaurant to buy my early morning breakfast of "Tocino-Sinangag-at-Itlog" because I am not in the mood of cooking a breakfast and just wanted to sleep after eating.
It was still raining when I went home and didn't even know when the sun came out because I was sleeping the whole day. The cold also had helped me fell asleep after I laid down on my soft bed after eating the breakfast that I bought. And I didn't even have any idea what were happening outside that cold and sleep inducing room that I had. When I woke up and went out to my living room it was already bright, because the sun had came out already, compared to the dark and gloomy surroundings I've been used these previous days.
I immediately took a shower and changed because I needed to do some very important errands today. Actually, I was off today so I intended to just carry out some of the errands that I had stalled these previous weeks. I hoped it won't be a drag to have done all these errands all at once. I was crossing my fingers.
But before doing the errands I decided to load some of my work scrubs at the washing machine then waited for it to finish then I loaded it in the dryer then left to carry out all the errands I needed to accomplish that time.
The first thing that I did was stop by at my bank at Larchmont area and wire a money transfer at my account in the Philippines to pay for the two condominiums that I bought there while it is still early so that it will arrive there before the due date. It will be due every 17th of the month so in order to save my time I decided to do it early rather than to be late with my payments.
When I got out of the bank I spotted a Pinkberry store across the street. So I decided to cross the street and went in the cafe to check out what they had. I decided to order a small frozen yogurt on a cup with sliced mango, kiwi, and pineapple fruits, strawberry and blueberry, topped with cinnamon granolas and dried shredded coconuts.
I then took a sit at one of the table and enjoyed my treat. It was good and very yummy. It's just like eating an ambrosia fruit salad. I felt I was in Mt. Olympus eating with the Gods. Hahaha.... It was soooo delicious! At least the treat was a healthy choice as well as it has low in calories. It was really so good!
After I was done I crossed the street and went back to the bank's parking lot where I parked my car then headed to a Korean Supermarket in Koreatown to buy some of my groceries. I bought some fruits, bag of brown rice (I prefer this rice because it is very rich in Vitamin B which I needed for my nerves and brain), drinks, and also some frozen and microwavable foods for my snack at work (my freezer is already empty).
After I got out of the grocery store I passed by at the nearby Post Office at 3rd Street and Western Avenue to mail the DVD of my mom's burial that I promised my uncle from Guam, Also since it was his birthday on the 16th I also mailed a birthday card for him along with the DVD. Then I went home to drop off all the groceries that I bought.
When I got home I loaded all the grocery bags and stuffed some of it inside the fridge then I went at the back of the house to check on the scrubs that I loaded in the dryer earlier, folded them, and tucked them inside the closet.
At around 5:30 pm I realized that I already finished some of my errands so I decided to go to The Grove Mall and decided to watch a movie since it was already been a long time that I haven't watched a movie. I decided to watch the movie Legion but it will not come out until 7 pm so I was forced to look for an alternative one. I decided to watch Dear John instead which starred Channing Tatum and that girl from Mama Mia.
Actually, the movie was a good one. I didn't even regret that I chose to watch it though it was a very poignant movie yet it was good. It's just like the movie Notebook based on Nicolas Sparks movie. It was a love story full of winning moments and life's lessons. I was really touched about the plot and the story.
When I got out of the movie I was very very hungry. Well, I haven't had lunch that's why. I remembered that French restaurant I used to frequent when I lived in Koreatown before. So I decided to leave the mall and drove all the way to Sunset Junction on the other side of the town. I drove for seven miles to just quench my longing for a French cuisine.
When I got to the area where that French restaurant was located it all turned out that they were close on a Saturday so in my frustration and hunger at that moment I decided to turn around and just decided to eat at The Kitchen restaurant which is just about five blocks from that French restaurant. Good thing the restaurant was open or else I don't know what to do if it's close.
I ordered a butter fried seabass with capers and chopped basil leaves on a white Jasmin rice and grilled asparagus. It was a very delicious plate I ordered and I enjoyed it with a glass of Moscato d'Asti wine. It's been a long time that I haven't had a dinner like this. I really missed my bestfriend Kuya George who used to dine with me before.
But things have changed now so here I am dining alone by myself. I get used to it already though. It was just quite embarrasing though because some of the diners there comes in couple or groups while I was alone on my table. Some of them were staring and looking at me enjoying and cherishing my dinner while scanning Facebook from my iPhone.
After the dinner I paid the bill and left the restaurant. I decided to pass by at the nearby Walgreens Store near 6th Street and Vermont Avenue to buy the Valentine gift bag for our Valentine exchange gift at work and some of my toilet papers, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and soap bars because I remembered that I am almost running of those. Then after that I headed home because I still have to prepare some of the things that I needed for my clinicals tomorrow.
It was a very relaxing Saturday off I had although it was just for a few hours but I get to watch a movie, dine out and also did some of my errands and chores. It was a productive one day off and I really enjoyed it. It was a fun day for me after doing all those tiresome and stressful drudgeries these previous days and weeks.
Aaah...... how I wish everyday is my day off so that I could do all those things that I had stalled to be done in the future. But things just needed to be set aside and accomplished at a later time to accomodate for the ones that are new.
Hopefully, things will be okay for me and that I won't stress and tire myself out. How I wish I could have a superpower and just do all of these things at a snap of a finger. But everything has it's own price and having those superpowers entails more responsibility. I'd rather stay the same and I'm taking back what I've said earlier......hehehe. It was just a wish and hope it won't happen.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Nursing Bundle
After working for a straight twelve hours on graveyard shift last Monday I still have to stay for another two hours after my shift when it finished at 7 am for a mandatory facility's educational update on the Nursing Bundle.
A Nursing Bundle is a body of science which is based on best practice. It is a structured way to improve processes of care. It is also proven to improve patient outcomes. It is a small, clear-cut, set of practices which requires a complete consistency. And there are elements necessary to accomplish it.
It is a way of improving our patient's satisfaction by improving interaction to patients. It involves four components which are an hourly rounding, bedside shift report, individualized patient care, and discharge planning.
Hourly rounding is the practice whereby nurses and other support staff check their patients on a one to two hour basis and to meet patient needs and perform particular behaviors. It involves checking the three P's which are pain, potty, and positioning. It is a mechanism to standardize the patient expectations.
Some also use PPD which stands for pain, plan of care (what's going to happen next), and duration (of laboratory results, diagnostics like x-rays, consults, etc.).
Some address the SKIP needs which stands for (a) supply needs like diaper, pads, water, (b) komfort [k is being used instead og c for better memorization] needs like blanket, cot for significant others, pain control etc. (c) information needs like feeding the baby, car seat, lab results, and (d) personal needs like toileting and shower.
It is geared towards better clinical outcomes, improve patient safety, attaining higher patient satisfaction by decreasing anxiety (by letting the patients know that the nurses are spending time with them and checking their conditions and needs), and increasing trust and give a sense of comfort to the patient. It also aims a higher employee satisfaction by providing staff with control and management of their time and reduced use of call lights by the patients.
The hourly rounding is being done at the same time when the nurses are going into the room for another purpose. As the nurses bundle their care the patients will also bundle their requests. When making rounds the nurse must scan the room while talking with the patient and making sure that the following things are within reach like the bedside table, call light, phone, full water pitcher, and garbage container. The nurse must also ensure that the bed rails are up as appropriately as possible and must tidy up the room every time the rounds are being made.
When doing this the nurse gives the patient and family visual evidence that they have been checked on. Also it dispels any patient's anxiety. And accessible information of the patient's condition are available to the nurse and the family.
After doing the hourly rounding the nurse must ensure that the patient has no additional unmet needs and lets the patient and family know when the nurse will be back thereby reducing the patient's and family's anxiety. So it is always inportant to encourage patient to also "bundle" their request.
The second element of the Nursing Bundle is Individualizing Patient Care through the use of a small board inside the patient's room. The board differentiate between the "daily routines" and personal preferences" of the patient. The nurse should not use no abbreviations to identify patient's needs and it should write down entries in a language that the patient understands.
The individualized patient care should be reflected on the care board which includes daily routines, patient's personal preferences, pain management and a visual reminder of the hourly rounds. It also reviews the plan of care for the shift with the patient. It lets patient know specifically what is going to happen for that shift. The plan of care must be written on the Care Board. It should be specific, functional, educational, and progressive.
The Care Board identifies from the patient's perspective (not the nurse) what is important to them, their likes and dislikes. It also identifies how to reduce the patient's anxiety and demonstrates sensitivity to their needs. It also identifies how to make them have an excellent patient experience and must be done upon admission and through out the patient's stay.
The Plan of Care will alert all staff of the patient's pain tolerance, keeps patient and family informed and involved in the care, promotes collaboration of care, provides patient and family education, improves patient hospital experience, gives patient and family a visual evidence that someone has checked for them every one to two hours, and accessible information that the patient's condition being made sure are the same as the other.
The third component of the Nursing Bundle is the Bedside Shift Report. This third element improves the accuracy of patient's identification as stated in the Annual Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals. It also improves the effectiveness of communication among caregivers and accurately and completely reconcile medications across the continuum of care. It will also reduce the risk of patient harm resulting from falls and prevent health related or care-associated pressure ulcers.
Bedside Reporting promotes patient empowerment, involvement, and uses patient as an additional resource for information. It will also identify the patient's perception of safe and professional hands-off and promotes better rapport with the staff and will lessen the occurence of anxiety. It also better a working relationships with nurses on other shifts, better relationships with patients and families, and promotes more time at the bedside thereby reducing overtime.
The Bedside Report uses the format of SBART. S for Situation which includes complaint, diagnosis, treatment plans, patient's wants and needs. B for Background which includes vital signs, mental and code status, list of meds and labs. A for Assessment which includes current caregiver's assessment of the situation. R for Recommendations which identifies pending results and what needs to be done for the next shift. And lastly T for Thanks which tells the patient that you appreciate them for allowing you to care for them.
During this process the nurse must observe the following techniques. The nurse should not use third person, she should not talk as if the patient is not there, must use a patient friendly language, must use language line (like the Cyrafone) or interpreters and whenever possible must communicate at eye level.
The last element of the Nursing Bundle is the use of Discharge Phone Calls. According to research; "Many patients do not understand the care they receive in the emergency department, nor they understand the discharge instructions." This is very scary and only suggests that most of hospital admissions happen because of such misunderstanding and lack of education.
So this fourth element of the Nursing Bundle will fill well by rewarding and recognizing the staff, providing staff with closure, and provides nurses with a direct and positive patient feedback. It also opens an opportunity to identify areas for improvement and encourage the patient to fill out the survey.
Attending this conference review had made me learn to follow and apply these four elements in all my interactions with my patients and their significant others. These four elements that comprise the Nursing Bundle is always geared towards a better nursing and patient care excellence.
During this post review conference it also updated and taught us to promote a more patient and family centered care rather than a patient or family focused care to make everybody get involved in a collaborative approach to the care and decision-making for the care of the patient.
As I wrote down all what I've learned from this post review let me leave you this inspirational passage to all nurses who are always hands-on with delivering the patient care:
In a hospital life and death are on the edge of happening every day and pain is ever present.
In your hospital how many people will die today and how many will be born?
Today is the last day on earth for some of your patients, and they are spending that last day with you.
And today is the first day on earth for some people, and they are spending that day with you as well.
"What could be more sacred than to be with people on their first day of life, or their last day on earth? What could be more meaningful than to be present with them when they may be in their greatest pain or highest joy?" So, always make a good impression.
This is how nursing is all about and is intended to be and this is what I've been doing everyday ever since I graduated from nursing school. In short this is my calling and I love what I am called to do. There is always joy in serving for the people who needs my care and it always fatten my heart everytime I could be of help.
Every picture of service is always worth a thousand words. What I am doing comes deep from my heart and it is of pure intention. I love what I do and I will always do what I love. I am always inspired about it and I will continue to do it to the last of my breath. Thank you and good luck in your service for the patient.
A Nursing Bundle is a body of science which is based on best practice. It is a structured way to improve processes of care. It is also proven to improve patient outcomes. It is a small, clear-cut, set of practices which requires a complete consistency. And there are elements necessary to accomplish it.
It is a way of improving our patient's satisfaction by improving interaction to patients. It involves four components which are an hourly rounding, bedside shift report, individualized patient care, and discharge planning.
Hourly rounding is the practice whereby nurses and other support staff check their patients on a one to two hour basis and to meet patient needs and perform particular behaviors. It involves checking the three P's which are pain, potty, and positioning. It is a mechanism to standardize the patient expectations.
Some also use PPD which stands for pain, plan of care (what's going to happen next), and duration (of laboratory results, diagnostics like x-rays, consults, etc.).
Some address the SKIP needs which stands for (a) supply needs like diaper, pads, water, (b) komfort [k is being used instead og c for better memorization] needs like blanket, cot for significant others, pain control etc. (c) information needs like feeding the baby, car seat, lab results, and (d) personal needs like toileting and shower.
It is geared towards better clinical outcomes, improve patient safety, attaining higher patient satisfaction by decreasing anxiety (by letting the patients know that the nurses are spending time with them and checking their conditions and needs), and increasing trust and give a sense of comfort to the patient. It also aims a higher employee satisfaction by providing staff with control and management of their time and reduced use of call lights by the patients.
The hourly rounding is being done at the same time when the nurses are going into the room for another purpose. As the nurses bundle their care the patients will also bundle their requests. When making rounds the nurse must scan the room while talking with the patient and making sure that the following things are within reach like the bedside table, call light, phone, full water pitcher, and garbage container. The nurse must also ensure that the bed rails are up as appropriately as possible and must tidy up the room every time the rounds are being made.
When doing this the nurse gives the patient and family visual evidence that they have been checked on. Also it dispels any patient's anxiety. And accessible information of the patient's condition are available to the nurse and the family.
After doing the hourly rounding the nurse must ensure that the patient has no additional unmet needs and lets the patient and family know when the nurse will be back thereby reducing the patient's and family's anxiety. So it is always inportant to encourage patient to also "bundle" their request.
The second element of the Nursing Bundle is Individualizing Patient Care through the use of a small board inside the patient's room. The board differentiate between the "daily routines" and personal preferences" of the patient. The nurse should not use no abbreviations to identify patient's needs and it should write down entries in a language that the patient understands.
The individualized patient care should be reflected on the care board which includes daily routines, patient's personal preferences, pain management and a visual reminder of the hourly rounds. It also reviews the plan of care for the shift with the patient. It lets patient know specifically what is going to happen for that shift. The plan of care must be written on the Care Board. It should be specific, functional, educational, and progressive.
The Care Board identifies from the patient's perspective (not the nurse) what is important to them, their likes and dislikes. It also identifies how to reduce the patient's anxiety and demonstrates sensitivity to their needs. It also identifies how to make them have an excellent patient experience and must be done upon admission and through out the patient's stay.
The Plan of Care will alert all staff of the patient's pain tolerance, keeps patient and family informed and involved in the care, promotes collaboration of care, provides patient and family education, improves patient hospital experience, gives patient and family a visual evidence that someone has checked for them every one to two hours, and accessible information that the patient's condition being made sure are the same as the other.
The third component of the Nursing Bundle is the Bedside Shift Report. This third element improves the accuracy of patient's identification as stated in the Annual Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals. It also improves the effectiveness of communication among caregivers and accurately and completely reconcile medications across the continuum of care. It will also reduce the risk of patient harm resulting from falls and prevent health related or care-associated pressure ulcers.
Bedside Reporting promotes patient empowerment, involvement, and uses patient as an additional resource for information. It will also identify the patient's perception of safe and professional hands-off and promotes better rapport with the staff and will lessen the occurence of anxiety. It also better a working relationships with nurses on other shifts, better relationships with patients and families, and promotes more time at the bedside thereby reducing overtime.
The Bedside Report uses the format of SBART. S for Situation which includes complaint, diagnosis, treatment plans, patient's wants and needs. B for Background which includes vital signs, mental and code status, list of meds and labs. A for Assessment which includes current caregiver's assessment of the situation. R for Recommendations which identifies pending results and what needs to be done for the next shift. And lastly T for Thanks which tells the patient that you appreciate them for allowing you to care for them.
During this process the nurse must observe the following techniques. The nurse should not use third person, she should not talk as if the patient is not there, must use a patient friendly language, must use language line (like the Cyrafone) or interpreters and whenever possible must communicate at eye level.
The last element of the Nursing Bundle is the use of Discharge Phone Calls. According to research; "Many patients do not understand the care they receive in the emergency department, nor they understand the discharge instructions." This is very scary and only suggests that most of hospital admissions happen because of such misunderstanding and lack of education.
So this fourth element of the Nursing Bundle will fill well by rewarding and recognizing the staff, providing staff with closure, and provides nurses with a direct and positive patient feedback. It also opens an opportunity to identify areas for improvement and encourage the patient to fill out the survey.
Attending this conference review had made me learn to follow and apply these four elements in all my interactions with my patients and their significant others. These four elements that comprise the Nursing Bundle is always geared towards a better nursing and patient care excellence.
During this post review conference it also updated and taught us to promote a more patient and family centered care rather than a patient or family focused care to make everybody get involved in a collaborative approach to the care and decision-making for the care of the patient.
As I wrote down all what I've learned from this post review let me leave you this inspirational passage to all nurses who are always hands-on with delivering the patient care:
In a hospital life and death are on the edge of happening every day and pain is ever present.
In your hospital how many people will die today and how many will be born?
Today is the last day on earth for some of your patients, and they are spending that last day with you.
And today is the first day on earth for some people, and they are spending that day with you as well.
"What could be more sacred than to be with people on their first day of life, or their last day on earth? What could be more meaningful than to be present with them when they may be in their greatest pain or highest joy?" So, always make a good impression.
This is how nursing is all about and is intended to be and this is what I've been doing everyday ever since I graduated from nursing school. In short this is my calling and I love what I am called to do. There is always joy in serving for the people who needs my care and it always fatten my heart everytime I could be of help.
Every picture of service is always worth a thousand words. What I am doing comes deep from my heart and it is of pure intention. I love what I do and I will always do what I love. I am always inspired about it and I will continue to do it to the last of my breath. Thank you and good luck in your service for the patient.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Thinking Before Acting
It is a mature thing to think first before acting certain things to be done in order to save time and energy rather than wasting everything and redoing something from square. It is more prudent to do such thing rather than doing things over and over again.
Although things happened at a spur of a moment sometimes it couldn't be denied that we forget to act prudently. And these things are sometimes inevitable but still we have to think wisely first before acting impulsively. And we have to do this all the time in our everyday lives. Eventhough how busy life is we should always be accountable and responsible for the decisions that we make.
I myself have some doses of not thinking first before acting a certain task, endeavor, adventure, or chance. That's why it puts me into unwanted trouble most of the time. And through this I usually learned from these mistakes and everything is too late to regret yet the impact of the damage is always there to reckon with and you will swear not to repeat such thing again.
Sometimes the damage is irreparable and things couldn't be patched back again as before. If you could only turn back the time and not commit such mistakes again and then suddenly you found out that everything will be too late now. It's not just like eating a steaming food and when it burned your tongue you'll spit it out like nothing. Things aren't not suppose to be like that.
That's why we have the brain to decide first whether our actions will cause us harm or not then if not the brain will send signals to our senses that it's okay to do it because there is no threat. And we should always follow this all the time. Unless, you are just dumb per se and couldn't understand what you are doing.
Some people says that the heart couldn't be taught by anybody. And somebody can forsake everything when it comes to what you feel about your heart. For me that's balloney! Honestly, the heart doesn't have a mind of it's own. That's why the brain was being placed on top of your head to govern your feelings and control your actions and emotions.
So whenever you do something that your heart feels you always have to consult your brain first. Always think first before you act to avoid harming yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and physiologically. Or else you'll be the one to suffer the consequences of your actions. Remember the end does not justify the means. So you always have to be responsible for what you have been decided and not to blame others in the end.
On this month of February, we celebrate Valentine's Day. It is the day of the heart but along with it we should involve our brain as well. Because without the brain the heart couldn't function. Love yourself..... think responsibly and act prudently.
I always say it here all the time that life is so short so always think that whatever we have decided is always for our own good and for our life's success. Live happily by acting wisely. We can only achieve this through thinking wisely prior to acting impulsively. Good luck ..... and may you have a satisfying February month as we celebrate the coming Valentine's Day.
Always live life to the fullest by thinking and acting wisely. Life has a lot to offer for us and we should enjoy everything it entails by prudently making the right decisions and double checking everything you've decided whether it can benefit or harm you.
Take care guys and keep thriving wisely. My best wishes for your luck on Valentine's Day. Ciao!
Although things happened at a spur of a moment sometimes it couldn't be denied that we forget to act prudently. And these things are sometimes inevitable but still we have to think wisely first before acting impulsively. And we have to do this all the time in our everyday lives. Eventhough how busy life is we should always be accountable and responsible for the decisions that we make.
I myself have some doses of not thinking first before acting a certain task, endeavor, adventure, or chance. That's why it puts me into unwanted trouble most of the time. And through this I usually learned from these mistakes and everything is too late to regret yet the impact of the damage is always there to reckon with and you will swear not to repeat such thing again.
Sometimes the damage is irreparable and things couldn't be patched back again as before. If you could only turn back the time and not commit such mistakes again and then suddenly you found out that everything will be too late now. It's not just like eating a steaming food and when it burned your tongue you'll spit it out like nothing. Things aren't not suppose to be like that.
That's why we have the brain to decide first whether our actions will cause us harm or not then if not the brain will send signals to our senses that it's okay to do it because there is no threat. And we should always follow this all the time. Unless, you are just dumb per se and couldn't understand what you are doing.
Some people says that the heart couldn't be taught by anybody. And somebody can forsake everything when it comes to what you feel about your heart. For me that's balloney! Honestly, the heart doesn't have a mind of it's own. That's why the brain was being placed on top of your head to govern your feelings and control your actions and emotions.
So whenever you do something that your heart feels you always have to consult your brain first. Always think first before you act to avoid harming yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and physiologically. Or else you'll be the one to suffer the consequences of your actions. Remember the end does not justify the means. So you always have to be responsible for what you have been decided and not to blame others in the end.
On this month of February, we celebrate Valentine's Day. It is the day of the heart but along with it we should involve our brain as well. Because without the brain the heart couldn't function. Love yourself..... think responsibly and act prudently.
I always say it here all the time that life is so short so always think that whatever we have decided is always for our own good and for our life's success. Live happily by acting wisely. We can only achieve this through thinking wisely prior to acting impulsively. Good luck ..... and may you have a satisfying February month as we celebrate the coming Valentine's Day.
Always live life to the fullest by thinking and acting wisely. Life has a lot to offer for us and we should enjoy everything it entails by prudently making the right decisions and double checking everything you've decided whether it can benefit or harm you.
Take care guys and keep thriving wisely. My best wishes for your luck on Valentine's Day. Ciao!
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