OFW (A New Generation Hero) from A to Z

There are approximately 10 million Oversease Filipino Workers around the world in 170 countries. They only do not provide a living for their families but also make considerable contribution to Philippine’s economic growth  and this is the reason why OFW are considered a “National Heroes’.

I thought of some words to best describe our Oversease Filipino Workers where in we can remember them and their heroic acts by these words.

When we say OFW they are:

A- Accomplished. In the sense of earning good enough money as compared  by  working in their homeland,  most of the OFW are considered successful. Successful in a sense that they have done accomplishment to fullfill their goals of support to their family. Although not all but mostly are.

B- Bored. The way of living alone without family besides them are the fact of the OFW hardship. Weekends supposedly a time spent for recreational and relaxing activities but it makes them bored to death thinking they will spent happiness all alone in a far away foreign land. In short, we can call it sometimes being homesick.

C- Challenging. Being an OFW is a big challenging role to survive in the foreign land, it is not as easy as what other’s know. OFW you thought who earn a lot of money but despite of those earnings are challenges to pursue everyday. A challenge which is nostly negative but it is always made positive by them.

D- Determined. To work as an OFW has a reason because each one has a great motivation to succeed in life, nobody can stop their determination to help their families way back home. A determined attitude is what makes an OFW becomes a success!

E- Energized. OFW tend to be energetic at all times. They even make their off days as productive as they could to earn extra income. Their energy were boost by thinking of their family way back home. 

F- Fortunate. Although not all but most of all are fortunate to work abroad. OFW can live their lives in flamboyant way while working in other countries. If you got your visa by then other people may sees how fortunate you are for such opportunity, but they doesn’t even know the real life over there.

G- Godly. OFW always sees GOD as the center of their journey being far away from their family. They seeks God’s   guidance in every way. Every little things they will never forget to pray.

H- Hero. Our OFW are considered heroes since they contribute to the economic growth of the country through the means of their billions of remittances. Also because of their sacrifices to leave their families so as to give them the best.

I- Inspiring. Oversease workers are really inspiring because of their guts and sacrifices. Many of them only thinks that this is an interim arrangement where in they should earn, save and escape. The only inspiration of an OFW to go through are their families.

J- Jovial. Every OFW around the globe are cheerful and friendly. They know how to adapt immediately to every cultures and situations that may arise. Everytime they will see “KABAYANs” everywhere they are overwhelmed and proud and willing to help.

K- Knowledgeable. Everytime you travel to every country you can always see Filipinos working there, why? Because we are knowledgeable in all aspects of work. OFW’s can adjust to any adaptations in different country and different types of work. We always want to learn new things and uses it to gain more knowledge to our future endeavor.

L- Love. This is the reason why many Filipinos are working abroad. Because of their unconditional love to their families and they want them to experience luxurious living, they even sacrifice their own happiness just to give their families the best life ever.

M- Motivated. Every Filipinos working abroad are really motivated, they are eager to learn almost everything. OFW with great enthusiasm are those people with intense  and visionary Christian views. They show a lot of interest in everything that they are doing that’s why an OFW is a great enthusiast!

N- Nostalgic. In a sense of longing and sentimental values,  we Filipinos are mostly famiy centered. As an OFW we are longing from some events from our past especially a family gathering or events that we wishfully think to happen again than working in a far away homeland. We often experince this kind of nostalgia especially when we are lonely or we experience hardship on our job.

O- Obligation. Working in a far away land is a scarifice and as well as an obligation. Most OFW treat their sacrifices as an obligation to fullfill their dreams for their family, to earn more than enough and plan ahead on their future but not all are lucky to achieve it. Mostly their obligation becomes a favor or a debt of gratitude.

P- Patience. “Patience is a virtue” we can always hear this saying. In the life of an OFW this saying really applies in reality. Imagine waiting for how many years just to finish our contract or before having our vacation is quite hard to think. Counting the days, months and years just to be with your family again is not simple and easy. It takes time to build a strong guts of patience for us, we almost overcome all the sadness, hardship and trials along the way just to be with our loved ones and just to say the long wait is over, welcome home....

Q- Quality. Standard of work is number one characteristic of being an oversease worker. We are being loved all over the world because of the quality of work that we give, the  disntinctive and general excellence of our work is known in every country that we are serving. When you tavel you will always see a Filipino working or sometimes having business there that you will be proud of. OFW is the quality of good service and having incomparable traits when it comes to their job all around the globe.

R- Realistic. In a sense of achieving their goals in life to be able to make their dreams come true, for themselves and to their family as well. Most OFW’s are realistic and practical. They are thinking sensible ideas on how to go on even they are suffering in a hard way. This is one of the diversion of being alone and far away, to think realistically in achieving a good outcome in all the hardworks for the sake of family.

S- Sacrifice. We often hear the news on tv about OFW who is being maltreated, who is separated from their husband and wife, who’s son or daughter became an addict or whatever negativities. All of these are because of the sacrifices of an OFW, they give up something important for the sake of something which they think is good but sometimes its not. Sacrifices of being an overseas worker are genuine, we cannot blame them because each one of us is having different stories to tell, different experiences and different values, attitudes and opinions about something. Not all the outcome of your sacrifices will be positive, sometimes it also went on a different way which is failure. As to the saying “there’s no harm in trying” so just try and try until you succeed!

T- Thrifty. In laymans term when we hear the word OFW all comes to our mind is that they earned more money. Despite of earning more than enough they are very thrifty because they only use their hard earned money resourcefully and carefully. While their family is having a feast on their table an OFW will have eggs and rice with them just to fill in their stomach and saves more money to be sent back home with their families as a remittance.

U- Undaunted. Dissapointments are commonly happenings to people who works abroad. Sometimes the expectations are far away from the reality. OFW’s are not intimidated or discouraged by difficulties or dissapointments that arises to them, they are undaunted with optimistic attitude to move on despite of failures and challenges along the way. 

V- Venturesome. Not all people can take risks but An OFW can. They are venturesome, wether they win or lose or they will be lucky or not as long as they try and try until they will succeed. This is the reason why OFW are called heroes they are like investors who invest themselves to the different types of culture and adapt on different environment just for the sake of ambitions, dreams and earning better and enough to support their families. Oversease workers are great risk takers more than being a businessman!

W- Wishful. One reason why Filipinos work abroad is the wishful thinking of having a good life. They are expressing a wish for something to happen along with their sacrifices to be far away from their love ones. The risk of being alone in an unknown land is hope to every OFW. They want to accomplish things that they desire sometimes something that cannot or probably will not happen.

X- Xenodochial. We all know that Filipinos are really hospitable and friendly. As we work to other country we meet a lot of foreign people with different beliefs and cultures. OFW’s are very friendly to strangers that is the reasons why they can easily adapt and overcome those cultural diversities in other countries and most of them became successful. 

Y- Years. A lot of years passes by in every OFW around the globe. All the years of sacrifices, longings, hardships, challenges and sometimes failure means a lot in every oversease workers. Every years of going home from a short but memorable vacation is really important to them. To breath and live without stress. To see their families and loved ones, to get along with them and fullfill the lost times happens every year to those lucky OFW who can go home yearly.

Z- Zesty. OFW are very lively and pleasing. Just because they suffer tiredness and hardship it doesn’t mean that they lost their humors. Most workers abroad are fully energetic and full of excitement despite of the feeling of homesickness, they used to divert their attentions in more interesting things to divert their loneliness into lively happiness. They know that life is hard abroad but it doesn’t always show that life is hard for them because they are Zesty!

My Insights: 

I am an OFW since 2013, it is risky to work abroad, sometimes lonely, depressing, tired and maybe you can say all the negative descriptive words in the dictionary but one thing is for sure I am really a PROUD OFW, why? Because after all the storm that happened in my life being here helped me to move and stand again. 

Being an oversease worker is a combination of sacrifices, challenges, love and self worth. We are sacrificing to be alone in an unknown land, it became a challenge to us so we can overcome each day thinking of love from our family and continously taking opportunities which can develop self esteem, values and respect to ourselves that made us always proud but not boastful. We are the new hero of this generations and our family is our strength to always go on. 

To foreigners who called our country “the land of the slaves” which is really degrading to each one of us, but here we are united as one continously fighting and proving them that this was wrong, because Filipinos, despite of discriminations abroad are still humble, we are unique, creative and hardworking people who don’t even care of being tired as long as we give our best to every job that we have. In every country you can see Filipinos because we are knowledgeable and hardworking, this is how we work, and it only means that we are more than capable and trusted workers all around the globe. OFW’s are not slaves but we are more than a HERO!  

Always remember this:

“If you want something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done”

By: Maerz ❤️

Sacrifices Behind Success (OFW Life)

Millions of Filipinos as of now are working as an oversease workers. For the most of us, being an OFW is a promise of good life. To be able to give the best to your family is indeed an equivalent of rendering a vehement hardworks and sacrifices. It is not easy to stay away from home but thinking of the way you will earn a living more than the way you will have in your country and to give a comfortable life to your family is another story. Although not everyone is aware how difficult it is, many still tries and bids their luck outside their homeland bringing the hopes and dreams of a brighter future ahead. Many people are envy when they see an OFW posting travels, good food nice gadgets etc but have you really thought what’s behind those beautiful smiles and nice photos?

For all the parents who missed chances to see and guide their children’s milestones because they need to work far away from them is such a hurtful feelings. Being one of those who is experiencing this kind of heartaches is really stressful but still we cannot show weakness instead we need to fulfill more strength to hold onto. I pity those kids who cannot experience growing up with their parents beside them and I  also pity those OFW parents who cannot be there with their loving children. The long separation where in it creates gaps between parents and children that made the relationship not firm anymore. Those parents who cannot attend to their child’s birthdays, first day of school,  first communions, school activities even special holidays like Christmas and New year which really give them emotional feeling of pain. As an OFW we can give what our child wants in materialistic way and support all the things that they need financially but its different from giving them the caring that they deserve, for them to see and feel our presence physically. 

An OFW is considered to be heros, why? Because of the hundreds, thousands and millions of remittances each day which helps in the boost of Philippine economy. We are a hero because of sacrificing to leave our homeland and our beloved family just to stake and binds to other cultures and works with efforts and hardships to make our love ones live comfortably. We are honored and respected workers abroad because Filipino’s adaptation are really good and nothing compares to the patience, diligence and good working skills of our countrymen. Although discrimination abroad is severe, OFW’s doesn’t mind as long as they are doing good, earning better and giving the best to their families are most important to them.

 

It is not as what other people might think that OFW live a carefree life. Most of us here make the most out of it to let both ends meet. Others may have part time jobs aside from their full time jobs and make their rest days more productive to earn extra income. Many OFWs are letting go of their basic needs just to fulfill the needs of their families in the Philippines and send them everything without complaining and hesitations. Others may have lack of sleep and will not eat on time depends on the capacity of works that they need to finish but they never mind being tired because their mindset is to fullfill what their family needs. In other words being one of us is not as easy as you think it is. It entails a lot of hardships and sacrifices even sometimes we can buy the latest gadgets and material things or you think we live in flamboyant way because of posting in Instagram or Facebook, or because we wear the latest shoe trends, you’ll never know what is behind those things until you feel what we feel and you experience what we are experiencing in foreign land. We always want to post happy moments parties, food porn, shopping etc but no one will post of cruel hours of overworked, living conditions and struggles dealing with superiors or bosses because what you sees on social media is only half of what is really happening to the life of an OFW.

Working abroad doesn’t guarantee success. Sometimes its a matter of luck, sometimes its a matter of struggles, efforts etc. sadly sometimes its a matter of being a slaves on a foreign land. Along with those luxurious life are mostly a sad ending stories or permanent damage on relationships between husband and wife or else sometimes an illness that we need to keep all by ourselves which is unknown to family members in the Philippines just to prevent worries on their part. Homesickness which is one of our biggest enemy along the battle of working abroad but thank you to the modern technology at least we can ease the sad feeling. Although having chats, videocalls and phone calls are not enough to compensate for lost times and presence to be with our families, I am still grateful that it serves as a tunnel to get through and fill the space of melancholy and loneliness in our hearts and minds. 

Mostly people who wants to work abroad might study 4 year course or even having bachelor or masteral degrees, but it isn’t the standard or measures to become successful abroad because all of those are nothing, sometimes even a great teacher when working abroad will apply as nannies or assistant teachers, an engineer in Philippines will only work as foreman, assistant etc. A nurse sometimes works a s caregiver it depends on the salary and financial opportunities that may exists and opportunities of financial stability. They never mind the degree as long as it will give them high salary to support their families way back home. This is how an OFW think “family first.” This is how life goes on when you work abroad, mostly you will be discriminated. Of course we are Filipinos even how degraded we are, we always see the good sides in every bad circumstances and uses it as our strength on future endeavors to succeed.

For all the success and failure behind Oversease Filipino Workers are huge sacrifices and struggles. OFW’s cannot afford to get sick because no one is around to take care of us, thus we have no choice sometimes even how sick we were it is much better to work rather than stay alone in the four corners of our room. Please do not look after the success only because it takes a long turn to achieve one. Don’t judge them as wealthy or rich because every single peso, dollars etc. that they earned and saved is equal to the sufferings, discomforts, pressures and difficulties along their long way battle of being an oversease workers.  When they fail to save and go home with nothing do not judge them as bum because we do not know their struggles, the tribulation and forbearance they endure while they are away.

I am an Oversease Filipino Worker and I am proud to give the best to my family. I am happy to gain success and lonely at times because behind those success are sacrifices to overcome which means we are strong enough to face everything. In every storm I can see the sunshine, in every darkest nights I can see the light and I hope that sooner or later no Filipino like me would sacrifice to work far away from their families and endure evey consequences, no more anxieties, self pity and homesickness companions because the homeland  or country that we live in can promise us a good life. Every hardships and sacrifices will bear fruits so don’t stop dreaming and don’t be hesitant to risk something because in return the seeds will grow again as a strong tree that don’t withered.

At first, yes! it is really hard to become an Oversease Filipino Worker (OFW) but because of our patience and diligence all those hardships disappeared. The mindset and motivations are to reach our dreams and the goal is to give the best to our families. Time will come and we are going to return back home and by that time our guilt will surpassed and change into profuse, abundant and joyful contentment as we can see the fruit of our labor and be together with the family that we are longing for years and decades. All will have the unreachable happiness ever to all KABAYAN’s abroad.

“No dreams are hard to reach just keep on believing, give an extra effort, travel an extra mile and carry an extra load with a joyful heart”

Maerz

Proud OFW

Let Go and Let God... (A Life’s Lesson)

Mostly people have issues in their life that makes them feel unworthy. Some people put on negative vibes instead of thinking positive result or outcome to the catastrophes that they are facing each day of their lives. Life is valuable, it is precious and defines our existense to the world. Every human being should value life as life is a journey and its is about choices too. So LET GO of the things that hurts you and LET GOD do the rest....

Let go of others who define you. It is our book and our story don’t let anyone hold the pen. There are times that people becomes judgemental and criticize us in every way and somehow we got affected in some ways. The real world had never been fair lets face the fact that there are rich and poor, big and small, ugly and pretty, bad and kind everything has it opposing sides of the story. Our life is our own story to make and not for others to manipulate. If we let others to define us, then we give them the power to dictate us which is absurd. In the reality you will be nothing if you let someone or something define your worth. All self made billionaires and highly intellectual beings were nothing at one point but they never let anybody else to define their worth. If you will break an egg from the outside its nothing and loses it’s life force, but if it is broken with force from within it creates a precious life. Outside world may define you as a broken shell full of judgement and criticism, but our inner strength can grant us a beautiful life ahead full of love, hope, promises and vitality. 

Note to self:

“Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth”

Let go of Comparing your Chapter 1 to someone’s Chapter 10. Live life happily and accept your journey. Stop comparing yourself to what others has. Everyone plays life cards differently, your journey will never be exactly the same as hers and vice versa. Be your own cheer leader and stop comparing instead focus on how you can become the very best version of yourself. Even you have everything and you are very successful it doesn’t define your self worth, being positive is the catalyst for survival in life. Appreciating where you are in life is contentment and the real key to being happy is that you are able to see the glass half full. So stop comparing and learn how to please yourself because you are the author of your own story and set a rewarding yet realistic and attainable goals.

Note to self:

“Personality begins where comparison leaves off. Be unique. Be memorable. Be confident. Be proud.”

-Shannon Adler

Let go of the people who don’t value you. Time can hold on people together but it doesn’t mean that you know someone longer you stay longer together. Longevity of time together is not the measurement of forever. Sometimes people stays with you for a reason but doesn’t mean that he/she value you as a person. Time can tie people together but if you feel there’s nothing substantial to keeps you connected, time is not strong enough reason to hold on something which is no longer worth to hold onto. Fear is also one reason why we can’t move on. Fear of being alone and not to be able to find someone else because of the person we used to be with gave us comfortability and became our comfort zone. Sometimes things are better left as good memories beacause we are destined to meet people along our journey that will bring us happiness, pain, sorrow and joy. Find someone who acknowledges everything you have done and will do. Don’t waste your time on anything less. Learn how to let go and trust that maybe life has better plans for you. Go with the flow and not against it. Why hold on to something good when life wants you to have something better?

Note to self:

“Be like the forces of nature: when it blows, there is only wind; when it rains, there is only rain; when the clouds pass, the sun shines through.” 

-Lao Tzu

Let go of toxic people. Letting go of toxic people doesn’t make you mean rather it makes you smart. It only means that you understand how life is and getting matured enough to live in this crazy world. Some people doesn’t allow you to grow instead they feel bad when you moves forward. If you have someone that hinders your growth as an individual then you will not succeed. Remember it is just okay to be in different pages but it is not okay when they make you feel bad about moving forward. Letting go of this type of person is such a relief. Toxic people are those who are unmotivated, uninspiring, hold limiting plus fear based beliefs, drain your energy and discourage you, don’t push themselves to greatness, they get to your head and weigh heavily on your heart. If you find someone impeding your own happiness then it’s time to let them go because they are called “TOXIC” people that only gives havoc in your life. Toxic people can be your friends, colleagues or even families who tries to control your life. They always take but never give. Letting them go doesn’t mean that you don’t love them anymore, it is just giving space and putting yourself first before them and valuing your needs and well being. We have to be resilient and just keep a distance on them before it’s too late.

Note to self:

“You create more space in your life when you turn your excess baggage to garbage.”

Let go of guilt and regrets. In reality regret is a fact of life as well as guilt. Doing mistakes is natural because if we don’t we are not human. Nobody is perfect in this world. One mistake is equivalent to a learning and realization. Sometime emotions over rule thinking and thinking over rule your guts. We cannot perfectly make a decision everytime, it is not optimal to always make a perfect decisions because we are humans we make mistakes. Don’t pressure yourself when you fail sometimes instead give yourself a break and meditate. Failure doesn’t mean that you lose but it is only the start of the game for you to win. We can never return back the times or rewrite again a history. Remember that we cannot always win, sometimes we need to lose to make things better. If you feel guilty or feel regrets let it out, cry out loud and release the negativity inside to make yourself unloaded. Get yourself involved at the present  because our mind can’t focus on two things at once. Focus at present and forget about the past. It is just like when you are driving, don’t let your eyes look on behind you will eventually crash. Take the steps to take your eyes on the road and focus on where you are going.

Note to self:

“Whatever has happened to you in your past has no power over this present moment, because life is now.” 

-Oprah Winfrey

Let go of your Pride. Never let pride be your guide because it is the root of sin. It is not always selfishness that counts but its harmony and humility. We need to be true to ourselves and accept who we really are and not to be somebody else that we are not. Swallowing your useless pride is better than losing a person you love. Saying “sorry” seems to be the hardest word but if you say it leaving your useless pride is like lifting all the heavy loads in your heart. Facing problems instead of running out of it, do not take your emotion burst out on your capability to think. We need to be honest to ourselves if we cannot do something its okay to ask for help, if we have problems its fine to talk about it, if you did wrong say sorry, if you lose accept, if you win just be happy but don’t boast. We dont need to pretend to be a person that we are not just because to show off. If you are poor nothing is wrong with it as long as your not doing anything that harms other people, just be yourself. If you are rich don’t boast instead just be happy that you can buy everything. Pride itself is not a bad thing, it can be also useful in maintaining standards althoug it is one of the seven deadly sin if not use properly.

Note to self:

“The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest.”

Let go of Insecurities, Possessiveness and Judgment.   Insecurity means uncertainty or lack of self confidence. When people are insecure to someone they tend to be anxious and it leads to unhappiness because they think that somebody is better than them. Insecure people used to look for something that other people had and they want it to happen to them as well. They are not contented on what they have and still want to have more than what others has. Although quite insecure is normal feeling but chronic one can sabotage your success in life if you don’t prevent it. Let your insecurity motivates you and your self esteem, think of the things that you are more capable of doing when you feel insecure. Make it as a challenge to yourself to gain strength and not ruin your happiness. 

Being possesive is a behavior while jealousy is just a feeling.  When someone became jealous it can lead to possessiveness which can be also a sign of insecurity. Let go of this behavior by learning to give trust and have an open communication always.

Judgment signifies a lack of self acceptance, because you are at war to yourself. It is a form of punishment or somehow a form of discrimination. When you judge a person there is no difference on putting a person on jail because you trap their emotions. Opinions are different form judgment because opinionated people are expressing only their feeling to a situation while judgmental people are giving more than opinions and tend to be trouble maker. Learning to accept and respect the opinion of others without judging them is a sign of a happy life.

Note to self:

“When someone judges you, it isn’t actually about you. Its about them and their own insecurities, limitations and needs.”

Let go of the Fear of Failure. To take risks to find opportunity is healthy. Mostly people want to succeed but they are afraid to fail. Remember that nobody is created by God perfectly. We should be open to failures and criticism as well. A failure is not a sign that you are weak, it is just a test of how strong you are to accept it and try again. People who doesn’t experience failure are over confident somehow once they fail it is very hard for them to handle it and they become depress. Even a greatest scientist do a lot of experiments before they come up to the best result. It is a matter of trying despite of unsuccessful events and keep on trying to gain the best result. It is always a matter of chances, you will never know what you can achieve if you don’t try and give it a chance again and again.

Note to self:

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.”

-Winston Churchill

Let go of your Comfort Zone. The only constant in life is change. While you are comfortable on doing your routines everyday as a sense of stability and security, there are times that you need to let go of them. I know its quite hard to change something that you are used to do, but it is harder when you keep on doing things each day which doesn’t give you the power to move forward. Sometime we want to achieve something but we are afraid to leave our comfort zones. Don’t be just contained in a small world because the globe is rotating on its axis. Its okay to welcome our comfort zone at home but don’t let it serve as a prison. To grow as a person we need to see the outside world and deal with it. Let’s give ourself a chance to achieve more because we are flexible and free to accept changes whole heartedly. Trying new things can make us more creative, to challenge ourself is to help us bring the greatest performance, to take risks help us grow, embracing challenges can help us age better but do not push yourself too far because eveything in life has limits.

Note to self:

“In an increasingly competitive, cautious and accelerated world, those who are willing to take risks, step out of their comfort zone and into the discomfort of uncertainty will be those who will reap the biggest rewards,”

-Margie Warell

Being able to let go of something is the art of learning. It requires strong sense of self that gives us the ability to learn and grow from our experiences. We are giving ourself a sense of importance to create something better while removing all those negative facts that holds us back. This is the time we realized that we are not what other people say we are, instead we are the person who we really wants to become.  

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become”

- Carl Jung

Maerz 😊

Registered Nurse by Profession... Dental Nurse in Action

I am a Dental Nurse and I am proud! I am a nurse by profession, I don’t even know anything on dentistry but learning is a virtue. I learned how to assist and do the job as an accomplice of my dentist across the full range of treatment provision. To be one of us you will need an excellent communication skills, a caring nature and be highly organised. Being a Dental Nurse you should be friendly, approachable, reliable, calm and be flexible enough to respond with unexpected situations as they arise. It is not as easy as you may know, a lot of guts are needed and patience during working period. Being knowledgeable is not enough, you must be skillful in action and works with strategies.

My work is like a light cure, once I point the light to the material it will be stronger and harder. I started from scratched, without knowledge on dentistry is like seeing a blank page of a book. I just learned from observing and with the help of other colleagues and free lectures which lightened up my knowledge on the job. Through exposure and experience which helps me a lot to know more about my job. To the dentist who are very strict and wants me to focus only while at work, who is very toxic and meticulous helps me how to be strong and take everyday as a challenge to pursue. If you quit, then you lose!

My work can be compared to a composite filling it is white, physically natural, just like how I naturally overcome each day of duty. No leakage, because it needs to be avoided and fixed. A good strategy at work make things simple and without complications. Everyday is like a filling that needs to be perfectly done.

My work is like an alginate at first in powder form once you mix in with water the consistency will change and immediately hardened, so be quick or else you will be thrown. Working as fast as I can with good quality is my goal. Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time bounded to minimize and prevent patient from waiting and complaining because patient is the center of my job.

The work of a dental nurse can be compared to burs, many kinds, many forms and many uses but each has its own characteristics and uses. I can go deep or just on the surface. As a dental nurse I can work like burs of different types. I can endure stress and attain more patience, for the patient is the center of my job. I should know my patient’s rights but also know my rights as a medical worker. Like drillings to remove the decays of your tooth, I drilled every challenging day facing every moments of our patient’s visits and help them overcome their fear while sitting on the dental chair.

Occlusal, palatal, mesial and distal any surface of your tooth can be treated by the dentist, but as a dental nurse we work with our dentist at any surfaces throughout the day. To work in multitasking mode is our assets. To work side by side with the receptionist and assure that our patient has given the right appointments and correct payments, to communicate with the call center to ensure that they booked us the right patient, to send approvals by the insurances, to ensure that clinics are well prepared for the patient and all the materials needed are complete and to assist our dentist all throughout each treatments. It is stressful but a job well done at the end of the day.

As a scaler tip do the job to clean up in between your gums, removes plaques and tartar and make your gums healthy. My job is to maintain that all the surfaces of my clinic are clean and properly disinfected. I see to it that my patient will be safe and free from bacteria as they enter inside the clinic and sits on the dental chair. Though sometimes even how we maintain the cleanliness patient still become sensitive and look for your  flaws, just like after scaling was done when the enamel becomes thin which causes teeth hypersensitivity. When this happens the teeth are more vulnerable to decays and bacteria, however the errosion cannot be blame to dental scaling itself. Same as with our work we cannot blame the dental nurses if they show sensitivity sometimes because we don’t know what happen inside the clinic so don’t make judgment of their work or make your fingers pointed with them we’ll never know.

A patient who suffered from severe tooth pain goes to the clinic and as a result of the xray root canal needs to be done to ease the pain. As the dentist do everything to save one’s tooth not to extract it but gives hope to it. Just like our job we suffer from tiredness, hunger sometimes because our focus is work and we can never leave a patient alone. Never say no to walk ins as well. Sufferings are just temporary but the fullfillment at work is forever.

A crown wether e-max or zirconia, neither of the two the only important is saving each tooth and helps it become stronger after the root canal treatment was done. Either functional or only aesthetically as long as you show the world a big smile and be proud. This is how our job goes. A dental nurse to save the day, to be strong is our attitude. The dentist saves the patient’s teeth and help them gain the beautiful smile indeed. We, as their assistant even though how stressful each multitasking day will be; at the end of the day we are proud to say “THANKS GOD WE SURVIVED, AND WE WILL SURVIVE.”

“A job well done is a great fullfillment, learning from mistakes is essential than doing mistakes without learning at all”

By:

Mae Chricelle

RN by profession

Dental Nurse in action

“BEWILDERED”

I am ready to go and packed my luggage on,

Suddenly, became so restless and confused.

But Yeah! I am delighted c’mon,

Even with so much love quite profused.

Away from home takes so much time,

But when at work time feels so slow.

Keep questioning this postulated events everytime!

Anyway, challenges come and let it melt like snow.

I am in the midst of happiness

Yes! Grateful, joyful but still faithful!

Waiting in vain with more patience that I possess

Thinking life is a gift indeed so meaningful.

Now I am leaving, but its just temporarily,

Be back to my homeland and to my family.

Though I left my heart bewildered and weary.

I’ll endure this trip, no doubt probably!

Maerz ✈️

“Everything you go through, grows you”

OBLIVION

She was a lady full of dreams.

Never imagine how it seems.

Like a colorful flower that blooms.

Long time promises met in dooms.

She never know what it takes in the interim.

But there is always something in her dream.

Memories we can never rub away.

We can never assign to oblivion anyway.

The vows we made are all for love.

She never ask, but sometimes she sob.

Only as many words as much I desire.

I love you quietly and then I smile.

Heartaches, heartbreaks and tears may fall.

All the challenges I don’t care at all.

I know better now and to myself will never lie.

Becasue those are the best and worst moments of my life!

Oblivion is the best place where my thoughts reside

To love you is one thing I can never hide.

All the things fade into the storied past.

What matters are memories we shared with trust.

MAERZ

Great Escapade (An Escaped from the Real World)

“Take every chance you get in Life, because some things only happen once.” By Karen Gibbs

     Seeing new places for the first time is really awesome. It is an extraordinary experience every person needs. Many people in the world do not have the luxury of going to another country for leisure and fun mostly because of financial deficiency. Although some people do travel even once or twice as gratification to escape on their stressful world and create a diversion which can help them meditate at least once or twice in their life. To get out on their comfort zones is beneficial to discover new things, meet new people and completely experience different way of life.

     For me, it is really an amazing experience to have an opportunity in my life that traveling became part of my job. Honestly, I am not hypocrite to say that I can afford those luxurious travel, because I cannot. I just feel lucky that once in my life even though its part of the job, I can say that those are memories worth to reminisce. 

     Let me share some of those travel memories that made me feel that working and leisure times are all in.

     The Address Downtown Hotel and the Address Dubai Mall which is connected to Dubai Mall is one of the memorable hotels during our Dubai stay. This is where we stay on my very first Dubai experience. Of course Dubai is known for the very nice architectural designs, on my first ever visit to Dubai I feel amazed with this building and what more when going inside. The Address Downtown with its 63 storey and very sophisticated modernized hotel which is very accessible to every place in the city. Imagine that we stayed here most often and just to sleep, eat , walk around and have fun. After how many days we will transfer to adjacent Address Dubai Mall, of course its mall connected what else are you expecting when you wake up from breakfast to dinner you will be there. Such a wonderful relaxing memories we ever had.

     Dubai Mall is one of the biggest mall in the eye of Dubai. This is where our days started upon waking up till the mall will be close. At first malling experience here I almost got lost because theres a lot of gates and as I see them they are almost all the same. Everytime we will travel to Dubai this is where we spent most of our time, and yeah our feet is almost numb of walking, we almost enter all the boutiques and we almost eat al over the restaurants inside. Relaxing and quite tiring at the same time.

     When you go to Dubai how can you ever missed the beautiful and colorful lights of the Dubai Dancing Fountain. Every afternoon If I am not mistaken 5:30 or 6 in the afternoon it will start to dance and every after 2 hours until the mall closed. All of the tourists will never skip to see the beautiful effects and music of this wonderful fountain most especially during night time. Even how hot the weather will be in Dubai as long as your here don’ t ever miss the chance to watch its amazing show.

     During winter time this is the attraction that you need to visit. The Miracle Garden is one of the famous garden with over 109 million flowers in different forms. It is such a wonderful attraction awarded by Guinness World Record. The big clock at the center made out ouf colorful flower, miniature buildings of Dubai’s famous buildings made out of colorful flowers are really amazing and you cannot hold yourself to take a selfie or a groupie anywhere. I am very happy to visit this relaxing yet adorable place.

     This place is like Asian in architectural design seems like you were seeing a chinese palace. These amazing hotel Zabeel Saray Jumeirah where in we stay during summer of 2013 is really awesome. Their infinity pool and beautiful gardens is really stress free kind of place. You can do a lot of recreational activities (and here I played table tennis my long time favorite sports) or walk along the seashore. The sea is very clear and very calm. You can walk barefooted along the white sand. The rooms can be compared to old or antique houses because of the furniture designs made of woods. Oh one more thing, how can I ever forget the buffet, the foods are really amazing from asian, american to arabic cuisine its up to you what you want to choose, as in eat all you can! as if you are eating in different restaurant genre. 

     Who told you that only Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes can visit this place or Gloria Aroyo can only stay in this million worth per stay? Actually we did stay here for almost 15 days. Burj Al Arab is one of Dubai’s famous architectural designed building next to Burh Khalifa situated along the center of the sea, such a luxurious place. From the lobby will show that tiny triangular fountain that will caught your attention! what more inside the room. When we entered our room here, all I can say is OMG! The furnitures, carpets, sofa, tables etc are all luxurious. The set up are all Hermes brand from soap to shampoo even a free hermes perfume that was set up on top of your bed. Inside the room is a huge living area where all the things were there and with a mac PC also. Imagine every room has a MAC PC! Going upstairs is our room and its very relaxing as if you are one of the richest while you sleep 😆. The bathroom is almost as big as a master’s bedroom with versace style decorative tiles. When you will see how much it cost per stay as compared of all the hotels we stayed in, well just forget about the digits since its an opportunity and free just have fun 👏😆🙂. I really enjoyed my stay here even the food as well and the hospitable hotel crews (of course most of them are kabayans). I will never forget this memory that once in my life I experienced the luxury of world’s only seven star hotel the Burj Al Arab.

     Oh Dubai! you are such a great escapade. Behind those expensive kind of living but it’s all worth it from luxurious to simplest way, everyone will remember such a beautiful place. The ultra modern architecture to a nightlife scene, from the skyscraper filled skyline scene of Burj Khalifa what more can I say. Such a wonderful place like DUBAI.

     Now let’s go to 🇹🇷 Turkey! Imagine you will walk down the aisle with a red carpet.. ooops just imagine! Here at Four Seasons Hotel at the Bosphorus simple yet elegant as you walk through the hotel entrance. The room is not as big as compared to Burj Al Arab in Dubai but I can say it is organized and clean with a famous turkish delights on your room set up is quite a gratification to love the place. At the backside of the hotel you can view the Bosphorus strait that separates the European part and Asian part of Istanbul (Bosphorus bridge), It is very unique, especially at night where in the lights surrounding the whole bridge seems dancing varies with different colors, very pleasant to the eye.

     “Baby let’s cruise away from here, Don’t be confuse the way is clear 🎶 .” Remember the song of Gwyneth Paltrow, well! well! well! cruisin along the Bosphorus river is quite expensive with a private yacht, but in our stay here I am proud to say that we experienced to cruise and see the beauty of Istanbul (cruisin along the Bosphorus Strait). Thank you to this mighty captain of Pheri (sorry I forgot his name) for the safe and well deserved promenade. 

     Miniaturk is a park where you can see all the miniature arts, landscapes, buildings and scenery all around Turkey. As the name stated its seems like mini version of Turkey inside a huge park. Almost 105 models are inside and its such an art that resemble the real big one. Here’s a video how it looks like when you visit there. http://youtu.be/dBqQAW8cjXQ  I really enjoyed roving around here, it is quite a resemblance of the “Nayong Pilipino” in the Philippines before as I remembered because of the mini version of the beautiful sceneries in my homeland inside the park also. This place is really an art! So amazing!

     Dolphinarium seems to be a kid’s place but no doubt I enjoyed the show even other adults with their family enjoyed watching the performance of the witty sea lion. There is also a dolphin performing and doing tricks together with its trainor. The show was really fantastic, can be compared to a mini carnival show.

     Ciragan Palace Kempinski Istanbul was like a mansion or I can say an old Palace where you can find a prince or a princess (just an imagination) anyways here as you entered in their very elegant lobby you will feel that you are inside a Palace. Big chandeliers, elegant furnitures, colorful flowers, huge displays and paintings and more. All I can say is how lucky I am to have an opportunity to land on this beautiful place. Such a wonderful experience worth reminiscing.

     Istinye Park Mall is where I first taste the Shake Shack Burger 🍔. Yeah since rice meals is not mostly eaten here so we are stock in burger meals and shake shack became our all time favorite. This mall is not as big as Dubai Mall but look at the structural designs even around it inside out you will be amazed. Inside is like an an open park witn a man made small river that flows while you sitting on the bench besides it. I guess this is the only mall We visited in Istanbul.

     Rumelihisari Castle is a medieval fortress located in Istanbul. It was built by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in the preparation of the conquest of Constantinople. It is situated on the shore of the Bosphorus Strait. This place is really historical and as I remembered we didn’t reach to go on the top of the castle, we are just in the half part but up there you can see the whole Bosphorus Strait. Theres a lot of stairs to walk through and you can see a lot of antiques or medieval things that was used by their progenitive/ancestors.

     If you like shopping well this is the place to be. Forget about those ukay or malls. This place is all in to buy presents and remembrance, foods and goodies and a lot more. This os the Kapalicarsi Grand Bazzar located in Istanbul near the mosque. From here I bought a lot of things such as T shirts, figurines, keychains even the fancy earrings made by hand is really awesome to buy here. The place is very well ordered because food is separated to non food. If you want also to buy spices, preserve foods, turkish delights this is the place to be. You will get tired of walking and roving around the place and a lot of tourists people were here.

     Let’s go and travel via domestic flight from Istanbul to Bodrum. I never been to Boracay but when we went here I can compare the place to Boracay. It seems to be a province far from the city and you can see the blue sea while your travelling going to Kempinski Hotel Barbaros Bay. Bodrum is really a paradise. As we are travelling I can see a lot of olives and people selling olives around the place, you can also see that besides every house there is an igloo. When we arrive at the place I thought the Palace I saw in Istanbul is the last beautiful place but I was wrong! Because Bodrum is such a lovely place. We stayed here in a villa situated beside the shore and from our villa there is a balcony behind where you can see  nothing but the beautiful yet calm sea. Yeah it is very relaxing and good for meditation. Outside the villa you can rove around and walk in the swimming pool area or in the park or to visit the whole place you can ride in a golf car so you will not get tired. The place is so huge and the hotel is situated upland. The food here is good though everything is expensive, anyways its free so grab the opportunity just enjoy the stay.  

     While we are here we went also to a bazaar or a market called Bodrum Bazaar. As compared in Istanbul it is almost the same but it is situated outside and it is only open by schedule I guess Tuesdays or weekends I don’t know. Most tourist go here to shop variety of things. You can buy shirts hollister, lacoste etc (i don’t know if its orig or not) all I can say is all are good quality and cheaper as compared in the mall. You can use their currency turkish Lira or Euro to buy things here. Well I bought a lot of things here due to the cheaper prices 😆.

     This is the view from our room in Ritz Carlton Istanbul. After a tiring domestic flight from Bodrum, we went back to Istanbul and stayed here for few days before heading home. The place is just like Manila because traffic is everywhere and a lots of building around, but from the top view you can see the whole city. The food here were good and there’s a buffet breakfast every morning. I didn’t see the whole place at Ritz but our stay here was very pleasant and oh! I remember the lady pianist who performed here was very excellent! 

     Turkey is a very nice country, a lot of place to visit if you really have the chance and the time. If ever I would be given a chance again I would like to come back and visit the rest of its place. 

“Every Journey is a metaphor for a lifetime”

By Irma Kurtz

Desserts Made in the Desert (Food is Love ❤️)

     

     Many people says that “a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” This widely spread humorous saying is more on reality basis, a fact that a woman can make a man love her by cooking him good meals. 

     I love to cook, though I don’t consider myself as an expert and I don’t have enough trainings, certificates, diplomas and etc. I just want to make or prepare something as much possible to learn and experiement new recipes base on what I read or what I watch in the cooking shows. I am inspired of some recipes, food blogs, youtube and other apps but one thing is for sure I am trying to make it as my own version because I love to modify and make it as simple and delicious as it can be. In every tries the outcome is not always perfect so just keep on trying and experimenting until you reach the best result. 

     One of the show in youtube channel that I like the most is The bigger bolder baking by Gemma Stafford, at first I saw it in the internet while browsing for the perfect recipe on how to make a simple and easy no baked goodies. Suddenly it just hooked my attention and there are lots of episodes whether simple or complex that I guess even newbie like me can easily do. I also follow her website (Bigger Bolder Baking) where in you can see all the recipes in her youtube channel and it is very systematic. I can proudly say now I am a biggest fan 😉. 

     These are the recipes that I tried to make recently while I am here in KSA with and without occasions as long as I have time and urge to cook 😋 especially for my number one fan (my hubby)...

My No Baked Plain Cheesecake

Ings:

500g cream cheese (i used president brand because its sale in tamimi🤣)

500g thick cream

1sachet of Mr gulaman powder dissolved in hot water

250g condense milk

3 egg yolks

Vanilla (optional)

For the crust:

250g graham cracker (crushed)

100g unsalted butter (melted)

How to Prepare:

1. For the crust since I don’t have crushed grahams and I used the biscuits, I put it in the food processor until its finely crushed.
2. Put the melted butter and continue to mix it until it is well combined,
3. Get a springform pan and put the mixed crush grahams with butter. Flattened and level it to make a crust. Set aside and put in the fridge.
4. For the filling, in a bowl add the cream cheese, thick cream, condense milk and drop of vanilla and mixed it using a mixer until its well combined and creamy.
5. Put all the mixture in a pan (i used my rice cooker for this) and make the mixture boil in a low temperature while continuosly mixing it gradually add the egg yolks. When it start boiling pour the gelatine dissolve in hot water and continue mixing 3-5 minutes will do.
6. Get the crust in the fridge and slowly pour the mixture and level it.
7. Use the remaining crushed graham and sift it on top of the cheesecake as garnish. 

     Oh lala this is very simple and so yummy 😋. I can describe it as if you are eating an eggpie and a cheesecake in one because of the creamyness of the cheesecake filling. Soft, creamy and so tasty my husband love it 😍 as he always loves me ❤️😍. 

No Baked Oreo Cheesecake w/ Love

Ings for the crust:

250g oreo cookies (crushed)

100g melted unsalted butter

For the fillings:

100g oreo cookies (slightly cut into small pcs)

500g cream cheese (i used president brand)

500g thick cream

1 cup condense milk

1/4 cup sugar

Drop of vanilla essence (optional)

3tbsp Gelatin powder dissolve in hot water

14 pcs whole oreo cookies (for toppers)

How to prepare:

1. For the crust: crushed the oreo cookies in the food processor and pour in the melted butter and mixed it well.
2. Get the springform pan and pour in the crushed oreo with butter, spread and flattened it to form a crust. Set aside and keep in the fridge.
3. To prepare the cookies and cream filling. In a bowl put the cream cheese, thick cream, condense milk, sugar and drops of vanilla and mix it with hand mixer until the consistensy becomes creamy and thick.
4. Gently pour the melted gelatin powder and mix it thouroughly then add the oreo bits and fold it to the creamy filling.
5. Gently pour the cookies and cream filling into the crust and flattened it with spatula.
6. Garnish with oreo cookies on top and oreo bits.
7. Let it set in the fridge overnight

     Well guys the first try wasn’t as perfect as the plain cheesecake that I made before but the taste is perfectly done with the right sweetness and natural taste of cookies and cream.

No Baked Caramel Cheesecake (Biscoff)

Ings for the crust:

250g lotus biscoff biscuits

100g melted butter

For the fillings:

200g whip cream

125ml thick cream

1 cup Biscoff lotus spread

1tbsp gelatine powder (mix in warm water)

250g cream cheese

1/2 cup condensed milk

How to prepare:

1. For the crust: crushed the lotus biscoff cookies then add the melted butter and mixed well.
2. Get the springformed pan and pour in the crushed lotus biscuit and pressed it evenly to form a crust. Then set aside inside the fridge.
3. To prepare the filling pour the whip cream and mix it using handmixer until thick in consisteny then add the cream cheese, lotus biscoff spread and condensed milk and continue mixing until well incorporated and it reach the creamy texture.
4. Mix the gelatin powder in warm water and pour it on the creamy filling then fold it evenly to the mixture.
5. Pour the creamy filling over the crust evenly
6. Melt a cup of biscoff spread and drizzle it on top of the cake and put in the fridge overnight.

     This cheesecake is one of the most tastiest I made. The distinct caramely taste of the lotus biscoff spread made the fillings so rich and tasty. It is a lil bit sweeter as compare to my previous no bake cheesecake recipes, maybe next time I will adjust the measurement of the condensed milk since the biscoff spread is naturally sweet already. I so love love it ❤️❤️❤️

Oreo Cookie Butter

Ings:

15 pcs Oreo cookies

1oz or 28.5g butter

1/4 cup Fresh milk or evap milk

How to prepare:

1. Remove fillings of oreo.
2. In food processor pulse the cookies until they become fine crumbs.
3. Add in melted butter and evap milk and pulse it together until becomes thicknin texture.
4. Store in a jar for up to 6 weeks innthe fridge.

     I made this oreo cookie butter when I watched Ms Gemma Stafford in youtube and followed his bigger bolder baking page. Now I am a big fan of her 😉. This is so easy with blending a 3 ingredients only. I just modified the measurements and oh! so yummy and very smooth, I can even get a spoonful and eat it straight or make a desserts out of it.

Here is then link for the original recipe if you wanna try it.

https://youtu.be/LYZ0qjmUoIo

Chunky Peanut Butter Oreo Truffles

Ings:

1/2 cup oreo cookie butter

1/2 cup oreo cookie crumbs

1/2 cup Chunky peanut butter (goody)

How to prepare:

1. Mixed together the oreo cookie butter and the crumbs.
2. Make a small bite size balls out of the dough and place them in parchment paper.
3. Chill in the fridge for 15 mins.
4. Melt the chunky peanut butter in the microwave         (1 min or 30 secs only) 
5. Dip the truffles until it is coated with melted peanut butter and place on the parchment paper.
6. Repeat on the rest of the truffles.
7. Store in a fridge (can be up to a week)

     Delicious truffles and it is bite sized so everyone would love it. I made it from the oreo cookie butter that I made recently. Maybe my son would love it too when I made this truffles for him on my upcoming vacation. ❤️❤️❤️ 

No Baked Choco-Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Ings: 

250g digestive biscuit

100g butter

250 ml whipping cream

250 ml thick cream

500g cream cheese 

1/2 cup condense milk

5g gelatine powder (melted in hot water)

1 cup chunky peanut butter (goody)

1 cup Semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup thick cream

How to prepare:

1. For the crust: using food processor crush the digestive biscuits until it become fine crumbs then add the melted butter and mix until well incorporated.
2. Pour the crumbs in the springformed pan, flattened it evenly to make a crust. Set aside and put in the fridge.
3. For the filling: whip the cream until it doubled then add the thick cream, cream cheese, peanut butter and condense milk. Mix it altogether with a hand mixer until the consistency become creamier.
4. Melt the gelatine powder in hot water and gradually add to the creamy mixture and mix once again.
5. Get the prepared crust and pour the filling, level it with spatula and put in the fridge overnight.
6. For the granish, Add the 1cup of thick cream and 1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips in a bowl and put in the microwave about 30secs to 1 minute (just for the chocolate to melt) mix it with a fork and let it cool a little bit. 
7. Pour the melted chocolate mixture on top of the cheesecake and put again inside the fridge for about 1 to 2 hrs. 
8. Ready to serve!

     Here it is! I made it for my special day and its the fourth cheesecake flavor I got to make so far. More to come, since cream cheese are everywhere here in Riyadh 😆 I can’t wait to make more and more cheesecakes. 

“Life is short, eat dessert FIRST” 😋😋😋