Nurse: Saving and Preserving Life

There are moments in life, that just take your mind out, into thinking deeply. Experiencing circumstances, that seem to relate itself into understanding life, and it's processes. Giving you a whole dimension, into thinking and viewing the world, more than what an average person sees. It is in these experiences, that we begin to learn, and gain wisdom. All are processes, of our growing up, which then helps us better ourselves, when such challenges are confronted and faced. Things are learned, in and out of any organization you choose to be in. For an athlete, things are learned in the gym, for a student, things are learned in school, and for a champion, things are learned in life. As a fighter, not only have I experienced the harsh nature of my sport, and succeeded in terms of enduring them, but I have also been exposed in the hospital setting, as a student nurse. Having experienced one of these priceless moments, that one would feel as if something has changed in them. I have always dreamed, of becoming a world champion someday, that I constantly envision myself in such moment, as I continuously train myself, through sweat and all muscle pain, one can't believe possible. For years, I have trained for that thought, but just parts of these wonderful moments as a nurse, I am able to view things more differently, that an athlete never sees.. The value for life, empathy for affected people, and the care for the weak, these aspects are elements that are innate, and I have learned through the constant hospital exposures, I've had in the past. There are these moments, where I would say, I love my work, and that is, in helping those who are in need. I had lot's of experience as a student nurse, but this experience, for me, is worth for the entire world to know, and to learn from. In a graveyard shift in a public hospital that I've had an exposure of, I was prepared with every materials, a positive mindset, and a body, which is willing to work for the eight hour shift, which was asked of us, but never would I knew, that it would one way or another, change my life in the long run. A traumatic event took place, as a turbulent moment in the Intensive Care Unit rushed me into the scene, by the request of my Clinical Instructor. Inexperienced as I was, I was called to operate a hand-held device, called a Bag valve mask, which is used for patients who are inadequately breathing. I stood right beside the distressed patient, which seemed to looked as if surviving, from the disease process, that had created her condition. The patient was dependent, to the ventilation device, that I match my pressure with breathing rhythm. Looking through the monitors, it is seen, that the patient was already having an irregular cardiac rhythm. The patient's husband, was terrified, crying, and eccentric, that he was shouting over everyone in the unit. In moments of his silence, the husband would cry in prayer. In the height of the moment, the husband decided to go against medical advice, which then prompted the entire staff to stop from there, as a signature was signed, indicating HAMA, or home against medical advice, which was made. He was probably looking for a miracle to happen, but in reality, it is understood that their decision would be fatal. As the nurse deflates the stopper of the endotracheal tube, I was asked to remove it, as I was the only person, wearing gloves at the time. Without question, I removed it. There were criticisms that people made towards my actions, for why did I allow myself to remove, a device that the patient was clearly dependent of. It is true, that the actions that has been done, had a direct effect on life and death. But what else can I do, when the family of the patient have asked of us not to do anymore? Although, I wanted to do something, but then I knew, I couldn't do anymore. These kind of trials, made me reflect, and learn a deeper sense in life, which has made me tougher, as a person. As inexperienced as I was in the past, I felt I will not be bullied into these types of situation again, that as long as there is hope, I am willing to use all my strength, stamina, and work up a sweat, just to save someone's life. I will preserve life, as much as I can, and it doesn't matter on what approach will I use, as long as I save lives. A year has passed, and I have just recently experienced another dramatic situation in the hospital setting. On a graveyard shift, I was assigned in the Intensive Care Unit, but in a different hospital. There was a patient who was again in Endotracheal tube which is attached to a mechanical ventilator. He was conscious, responsive, and was seemingly energetic, despite his condition. He was asked not to remove the tube and follow instructions which were given to him. He became defiant, and removed the tube on his own. He was questioned immediately of his actions, and responded that he wanted to spit, but after a few seconds he experienced shock. Everyone was on rush as they prepare the emergency equipments. I wanted to come in and help, but they asked me to stay out, for there were too much people in the room. My opportunity arrived, when they asked for a cardiac board, which I delivered. As I entered the room, The doctor was performing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation. In a frantic moment, perhaps noting my physical advantages, the doctor decides to let me do the chest compressions. I swiftly went over and gave all I could, as I knew how to do such procedure. In my mind, I thought to myself, that I will save this man. I was intense, consistent, and desperate. The patient's face looked pale, looking through the monitor, it was seen that the patient has an irregular heart rate. In a moment where hope is deprived, I made myself to think, that I am the hope, that I will definitely save him. I continued for such lengths, that even if the nurse offered to switch turns with me, I said, "It's okay, I can still go on." I never felt tired, when it comes to saving one's life. I went on, and on, with full determination, until his normal heart rhythm has returned, and his face wasn't pale anymore. I felt fulfilled that I did all I could, into something worth doing. For me, nothing beats the feeling of helping people who are in need, in saving lives, and more importantly, serving my father God. I want to help, as long as I have the strength, I will do all I can, to prevent death as much as I can. I understood well, of my mistakes in the past, and I will not allow myself to be placed in that dark pathway again, for I've learned and found the light. People would ask me, "Isn't there anything greater for you, than being a champion?", I would say, "Greater than a champion, is a hero."

Weight Difference

Weight plays an important factor in a match. Most people underestimate the tale of the tape, but it is in actuality, the essence or the early indicators, of how the fight will take place. So even if my prediction, was seemingly had some sense into it, you can never tell, until the tale of the tape is seen, especially the weight just hours before the fight. A weight advantage, can do lot's of things to you, as long as you understand how it works. It can give you a strength advantage. As I've said in my previous post, a requisite for power is weight. Weight is where the power comes from. People mistake power, from the swinging motion of your arms, or the strength of your upper body, but these things are only helpful in how you deliver a punch. The over-all punching strength of a fighter is determined on weight. That said, putting weight on your punches, really put's out the full potential of one's true strength. Another thing is, it can give you endurance, such that, a fighter can resist or take the punches more. We have seen this, over and over again, in the sport of boxing. People who are heavier have the least chance, of getting knocked down, by an opponent who is lighter than him. Finally, the disadvantage of weight increase, is slower reflexes and slower punching. So it is best to understand what weight division are you most comfortable with, based on Body Mass Index. Being fit and heavier is better, than being overweight and heavier. Weight is an important aspect in the science of fighting.

The Pacquiao - Margarito Fight

________________________

The Pacquiao-Margarito fight has been concluded, and Manny won by unanimous decision. It was an intense fight, with both fighters trying to answer from their onslaughts against each other. The ring was filled with attracting colors, wearing the gloriously white and gold trimmed shorts, is Pacquiao, while Margarito was wearing the red and black shorts. Analyzing the fight, we can see, that although Pacquiao, is the more renowned puncher against the two, we cannot deny, that Margarito also, has the known boxing phrase, "a puncher's chance". I knew the physical advantages of Margarito will make him more of a puncher, against Pacquiao. Although, larger than Pacquiao, he was slower. He reminds me of an old Oscar de la Hoya. As the fight progresses, we can see how Margarito was able to take Pacquiao's punches, as if it were nothing. Margarito looked like a man, who is searching for something, but ended up empty. I have to say, that his pressure did a lot, and I have seen Pacquiao, seemingly exhausted in the later rounds, with Margarito constantly moving forward. Although, busted up, Margarito definitely hung in there, and my hats off to him, as he has gained, a new found respect from everyone around the world. Pacquiao was just the quicker fighter and the better boxer, as he continuously pummels Margarito, but the only irony was that he was unable to knock him out. As expected, Pacquiao hurt Margarito early, but was unable to finish him in the later stages. It was another one-sided match from the "Pacman", and he has proven to me, and to others, that he is the pound for pound king. What amazes me was his post fight interview with Mario Lopez, as Manny said that, "Boxing is not a sport of killing." This shows, how much of a champion, Manny is. He shows mercy towards people, beating up a beaten fighter is no fun. As a fighter, showing mercy, is incomprehensible, so moments like this from a true champion, is truly amazing. In the later rounds, it may have looked as if Manny is exhausted, but perhaps, he showed mercy on Margarito, as he let him finish the 12th and final round. I felt that Lawrence Cole should have stopped the fight on round 10, as the aftermath, seemed to make Margarito be doomed to play in the fight. After the fight, Margarito was sent to the hospital, and will be having an eye surgery, because of the damage he took. I thought, Lawrence Cole's decision of letting Margarito continue to fight, was very inhumane. He does not deserve to be a called a boxing referee, if he doesn't show compassion towards the fighters. Today, the circumstances that have happened to Margarito can be all blamed to his corner men, who were almost like servants of the fighter, and the referee, Lawrence Cole, for his misplaced judgment of letting him continue the fight. The physician, must be obsessed with violence, or must have been an amateur as well. Again, ethics play an important role in these type of circumstances. Safety is most important, pride gives you nothing in the end.

Final Thoughts:
Manny Pacquiao is the man, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. must come out and face the challenge. Manny Pacquiao has become, the unprecedented eight division world champion. With all due respect to Sugar Ray Robinson, I think that Pacquiao might be, the greatest fighter of all-time.

Picture: An intense exchange of blows, from Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines, and Antonio Margarito of Mexico.

The Statistics

The latest services for blogger.com, includes some of the most important and interesting programs, that will help bloggers, like myself, have an easier time, and a more complex view on certain functions, that will help us get, up-to-date to the progress of our blogs. The only feature that I am very interested was, the blog statistics. At first, I was not confident in using it, because I felt that, maybe, my blog hasn't had a view, except myself and some of my classmates who were interested. To my surprise, I have about more than one thousand views, and most of them, from foreign countries, outside my native Philippines. Looking at the statistics, this is what I have discovered..

My top ten, All-time Audience Statistics
1. United States
2. United Kingdom
3. Philippines
4. Italy
5. Australia
6. Poland
7. Canada
8. France
9. Germany
10. India

From the statistics above, frequent visits are from United States, United Kingdom, my country the Philippines, and Italy. The most viewed post from my blog, is a post, entitled, "Power in Punching" and pretty close with another post entitled "Boxing Weight Class Divisions", and a few one's from the posts.. "Philippine Boxing Legends", "Reflexes", and "Pacquiao-De la Hoya". The top referring site for my blog is google.com, and the local counterparts of it, in United Kingdom, Italy, and Australia. Facebook, is rank four, to my referring sites.

Final Thoughts:
I want to thank each and everyone of the people in this planet, who is reading this blog. You truly are, my inspiration. Things like the statistics, make me feel like, being heard, and it has made me proud, as a blogger, and has given me the inspiration to continue this blog. Looking through the statistics, it is evident, that all the countries who are attracted to my blog are all English-speaking countries. Therefore, I will take the challenge in writing spanish, in order to attract hispanic countries as well. I have learned that, people are more interested in boxing functions, and especially the topic of power. All I can say is, you found the right guy to trust, in these kinds of information. For just this moment, I am speaking, as a blogger. Again, I want to thank you, world!!

Picture: A world view, of the all-time audience statistics of this blog.

Blogging Crisis

It's been a while again, since I've posted here. In such a hectic schedule, for a graduating student like myself, just having time for writing things that have shaped my life considerably, is something very difficult to do. It has been so hard, to fit my blogging, in my collegiate life, that I've felt that, time has passed me by, and some valuable things I've learned in life, have been kept, but not shared. Blogging, ever since, has been my way, to cope up with stress, that it never fails to relax me, every time I write a post in this blog. Writing, is definitely something that makes me feel comfortable, and gives a way for me, to think things through. It is more like a reflection, and through these, I may be able to inspire people and be able to share my thoughts. I also view this blog as a documentation of my progress in my sport. I want to build my legend right here. It may sound ridiculous, but it has always been my dream, to be a world champion, but more importantly, to be an inspiration to the world. It has been a privilege for me to be heard by the people who are reading this blog. Being busy, is like going to a long and dark tunnel, such that, you simply go straight, and you don't have a choice, for you can't stop, and there is no other option than the straight path. Although, these unfortunate circumstances have occurred, I had to deal with it. I may not have written these experiences at due date, but the memories remain fresh in my mind. As that's said, I will be posting these, one step at a time. For these experiences, are worthy enough, to give hope, strength, and wisdom, to those who seek it. I may have been a little lazy in updating my blog, but thanks to a little inspiration, it has made me going again. This inspiration, for me, are the readers who have one way or another ended up in my blog, for maybe, an unexpected circumstance. Nonetheless, I would like to say, thank you for reading this blog. I may not be an acclaimed author, but I will be proud enough to say, that I have written these just by pure heart, with everything I've learned, everything that I am, and with words that I believe, the entire world can relate to. For these are no ordinary words I speak. These are words inspired through determination and the solid belief in oneself and the capabilities that one possess. Everything is possible, when you believe.

Reincarnation

____

In a dreary day, I come to find myself comforted through out the minutes, as I just lounge into the soft furnishes of the couch, while watching television. As the night turned out, my mother has returned home, bringing with her, a computer monitor. Presently, we've got two laptops, and three CPU's. The additional monitor, has made me open the old files, that I've abandon for months. Seeing some few familiar music files, pictures, and games that I have used to play for a long time. In the search for files to help me remember some events in the past, it did not took me long to discover a file that has caught my interest. It was a text document, in a notepad application. I decided to open it, and was surprised with what I have wrote. It was a text that was supposedly be put on, in this blog, months ago. It articulately talks about the Poem that I have written before. It discusses Reincarnation, and my thoughts of it. Without further a do, here is the article..

I was surfing the net, watching television, and reading some books, then it came to me. The idea that made me think, where does my spirit come from? Was it made by me, by my hardship and dedication, or was it a continuous process from something in the past? I have always been fascinated of how determined a person I am. Although, something as complex as my spirit is something that I ponder most. Am I just so lucky to be what I am, or did I simply create the perfection in me, that my mind think should be? It all boils down to the thought about Reincarnation. So I thought, if I was something in the past, I could have been a fighter. Maybe, I could be a tiger, a lion, an eagle, or any animal with the nature of fighting. Was I an animal, or another man in the past? This resulted me into doing a little research about boxing. If there was any other person that will be almost the same as I am, I would say it would be that person. I am not going to say who he is though, cause I know it would sound ridiculous to anyone. So I made a poem of me and who I thought could be my past-life. No matter what the truth is about reincarnation, I will just keep in mind, that I am what I am. I won't be influenced with any theories that would bend me as a person. So I will stay, with what I'm comfortable with, and be myself. Either, Reincarnation is true or not, I will never fully accept its truth, for there is no proof. I am simply looking at the possibilities, and that is what a champion is all about.

Picture: A slight hint of who, the person, I think, is my past-life.