Crap

I was all excited when I got offered 2 jobs very early on. Both are in community or clinic type positions, Monday to Friday, 8 to 4. Sounds good right? Well I'm on my nursing night shift and my old preceptor tells me that 2 nurses are leaving and I might have a chance of being hired. I really like this unit and it would be awesome to have the field experience early on... I'm so conflicted. I just... I don't know what I want. I like the idea of a guaranteed job, a stable schedule, but I also like the floor nursing aspect which utilizes critical thinking, and problem solving... I like being busy and helping people. Bah I wish I didn't get these early offers...

omg awesome

I have a Google Nexus S and it was the phone model to debut Gingerbread, or Android v.2.3. When I heard that Ice Cream Sandwich came out with Google Galaxy Nexus, I wanted to update my Android OS but I didn't know how/couldn't be too bothered to do it. I was playing around with my phone today and it said it had to do some "important" updates, so I'm like "alright, whatever"... when it started up again I was like "wait a second... this looks different than usual" and sure enough, updates for Android v.4.0.4. (Ice Cream Sandwich) are coming out for Nexus S users! Apparently updates started coming out since March 29, but I guess it's taking some time (a few of my friends have the same phone and theirs have not updated yet... I feel special!).

There are some things to get used to, like the image swipe and how different the interface looks... but I'm impressed with the improved text input and the speed of the platform!

Gingerbread Android v.2.3

Ice Cream Sandwich Android v.4.0.4

Nearing the end

I finished my last graded nursing course last Tuesday (April 3), so all that is left is NUR470 (consolidation coupled with needless papers), and then it's freedom! Well, sort of freedom anyway. I can't believe how FAST 2 years have past. There were times where I thought it would never end, but I definitely feel like this year just whizzed by, and when I think about how much I've accomplished and learned over the last 2 years, not just about nursing, but about myself, it astounds me.

I've had amazing experiences in post-partum/labor&delivery, geriatrics, pediatrics, adult med-surg, mental health, cardiovascular & vascular surgery, and in community; I've had rough days and good days; I've had rough patches with friends and loved ones; but one thing that has never wavered: the feeling that nursing is my calling, and was the right choice.

The last year has definitely been a big learning experience for me in many respects. I've learned to cut loose a little, I've made new and awesome friends, and I've expanded my liking for the little ones. I've learned the true meaning of compassion and quality of life, and of the importance of team work. I am excited to see what the rest of my nursing career will hold for me in the future.

I'll be writing the CRNE in October; and then I'll be able to call myself "Charlene Fan, BSc, CK, BScN, RN". I doubt I'll follow with all my acronyms, but the "RN" part will be exciting to have.

I didn't want to say this too early because I wasn't sure, but I have a job lined up thanks to my most recent placement! I must say, this New Grad Initiative in Ontario is awesome. It's not what I pictured myself doing right out of the gates, but I think it's a great way to start and get my foot in the door.

omg I'm going to have to start behaving like an actual adult soon... like by paying for things myself... O_o...

In other news: I stopped doing Insanity after like 5 days. I'm sorry, it's friggin hard. I'm trying out Turbo Fire, and I'm liking it so far!

This was a good easy day

Thank god today's insanity workout was much more tame than the others -- yay for Cardio Recovery. On the plus side I am less sore today.

4 days down. 59 to go.

Complete

Insanity: Cardio Power & Resistance -- DONE.

Omg I was so sore today -- partly from Insanity, partly from poor posture while studying/writing a test the day before, partly from sleep deprivation for the last 3 days.

But I did it. Yay! :)

I felt like this last time I did this workout too...

Yup... the last time I did Insanity around January 2010 I felt just like I do this time -- Like I got run over by a truck. 

But at the same time... I haven't worked out this hard in a looonnnng time, so in some ways the pain/nausea is gratifying. I can't remember the last time I taught or did a Muay Thai class, but even then it wasn't this bad. I wasn't able to do it to the same extent as the people in the video -- but let's be realistic -- these are workout robots who were probably fit to begin with. I did pretty good for an out-of-shaper -- I did as much as I could with good form and without passing out. I am super sweaty. For the exercises that I couldn't do (like, physically, my strength/stamina is not there yet) I did some crunches and oblique crunches in the mean time. 

I can't believe I have to do this again tomorrow... and every day this week. :( But it's for a good cause -- being fit, getting in shape, and looking faboooooo!!! (Animaniacs? Anyone?)

Commence the insanity

Now that my major pressing concerns are taken care of I can get back to looking after myself

Hoping on the INSANITY bandwagon. Again.

Hey Ya'll. It's been a long time since my last post! Not too many things are new -- doing my community placement now, working part time at a hospital doing Occupational Health stuff using my previous degree, currently on reading week... and currently not too pleased with my physique.

I have been a big supporter of yoga for the last 7 months -- It's low impact but builds strength and can be a good cardio workout if you choose the right kind of yoga. I still love yoga (http://www.yogadownload.com) but I'm thinking I probably need a more conventional workout to boost my fitness. I need to be in shape for my profession for my own safety, and I think that yoga alone won't get me there when I'm only doing it like 2x/ week. So... enter INSANITY.

I bought the INSANITY workout from BeachBody.com back in 2010 or late 2009 I think. I did it for 11 days with a friend of mine back in our last year of Undergrad at UW, but then I had to stop -- I was exhausted and it was making me literally sick (nauseated). I never did get back on it. In hindsight there are a couple of things I did wrong in the first place:

- I wasn't following the meal plan guides in the book -- hence I probably wasn't getting the right balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrate
- I pushed myself too hard too fast
- I wasn't able to get myself into the right frame of mind

Motivation is an interesting mind game -- in the right frame of mind, you can achieve anything. But once you get into that "negative space", you're afraid to push yourself and push through physical and mental fatigue.

So what am I planning on doing differently this time to be successful?
- I'm going to follow their nutrition plans
- I'm going to go at a pace that allows me to get the form right -- I'm not going to go at max speed
- I am going to do my workouts in the evening so that I can konk out right after
- If I can't do the full Insanity workout for that day, I will substitute with the 20-minute Insanity: fast & furious workout, or a Yoga workout (I just got a new one; Qi Barre, and it's wicked for the lower body!)

I've set up a calendar and everything so I'm all set. I just need to do positive affirmations to myself everyday so I feel like I can do it. I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to setting myself back through self-doubt talk. I'm not going to try to be a crazy fit hottie -- I want to take it at my pace so I don't kill myself, and hopefully get in shape along the way. I would love to look in the best shape possible for my brother's wedding.

Here's to trying!

Just another day at the office...

Currently on lunch break. Need tea or some warm beverage.

Valentine's Day

Happy V-day everyone! For those of you who are lucky to have someone special in your life, I hope you share the spirit of Valentine's day everyday. For those of you who are not in relationships for whatever reason, do not forget to love yourselves!

My dad passed away September 27, 2005, and so every year my mom celebrates Valentine's day alone. My brothers and I have made it a new tradition to send her roses or whatever flowers look nice on Valentine's day as a surprise. Despite having them for 7 years now, she still is always surprised when we do it. Don't forget to tell or show your loved ones you care. It doesn't have to be with flowers or gifts -- just give them a call and say "I love you!"

Yoga is all you need for Fitness

http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/739

Proof that Yoga is as viable of an exercise as running or weight training.

Getting older

My early 25th birthday gift to myself... Lame.

Happy new year!

I wish everyone a happy 2012 filled with laughs, love, and joy.

Best and Worst of 2011

Hey everyone, I am going to be doing a best and worst list of 2011 -- it will include products, foods, moments and anything else I can think of.

Best Skincare/Makeup products of 2011

• Skin79 Super+ Triple Functions BB creams (hot pink, VIP gold)
• Vichy Purete Thermale 3-in-1 Calming Cleansing Solution
• Rimmel Lash Acclerator serum
• Avene Cleanance Anti-Shine regulating Emulsion
• Shiseido Senka Mineral UV Gel SPF50 PA+++

Worst Skincare/Makeup products of 2011

• Maybelline The Falsies Mascara
• Ardell LashTite
• ELF essentials eye primer

Best Food of 2011

• Making home-made Ravioli with my boyfriend (even though it took us like 4 hours)
• Discovering the many uses of Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP) for vegetarian meals
• All Bran
• Goji berries
• Home-made tomato bread
• making crepes for the first time

Worst Food of 2011

• My 2nd attempt at a sprouted rice salad- blegh, raisins are a no-go
• getting a hair in my dessert at 93 Harbord during winterlicious
• getting a hair in my dessert at my cousin's place (what's with all the hair, peeps?)
• Carob chips (Or anything with Whey in it... it makes me swell up like nobody's business!)

Best moments of 2011

• Realizing that Nursing is my calling in life
• Receiving a watercolour painting from a patient 
• Curling up with Gerald after a bad day... and pretty much all other times I see him
• Being done exams and papers for the term
• The feeling I get after a good session of yoga

Worst moments of 2011

• My bag being stolen from TGH
• Being frustrated with various people for various reasons
• Dealing with many people re: yearbook stuff over the summer
• The odd time here and there when I would feel sad about missing my dad and remembering patients that have passed

Hmm.. I don't really know how else to sum up the year. It had its ups and downs, and I learned much from 2011 about myself and of what I would like to do with my life. I made new friends and I think I've matured even more, if that was possible (It's official: I am now an 80-year old woman trapped in a 24-year old body). I've definitely had to deal with more pressure this year, but I think I still need to learn how to deal with it more effectively without taking it out on others. That will be my goal for this year.

As my 2012 resolution, I will try to control my anger better. That, I think, would do the world some good. 

Loving the holidays and craftiness

I like holidays.

a) I don't have school/work
b) I can sleep in
c) I can eat lots of goodies
d) I can make lots of goodies using my mom's expensive kitchen equipment
e) I usually get a lot of craft-time in

Craft time! I love craft time. I remember spending hours upon hours in my youth doing any craft possible that would require a lot of skill and time to challenge myself. I started out with paper-mache/newspaper stuff, and small sewing projects, then when a cousin had introduced me to Sculpey/Fimo polymer modeling clay it was game over -- I made Pokemon figurines, very convincing Lord of the Rings props, fridge magnets, etc... Let's just say after the Sculpey thing, I identified myself as a "sculptor".

For my brother's wedding, he asked me if I would be able to make a Wall-E and EVE cake topper like one he had seen on Etsy. I said "of course!" because it was just another way I could challenge myself and make something cool that they would be able to keep as a lovely keepsake from their wedding (aside from photos and the bill, of course... haha). So I was working on it tonight, starting with drawing out sketches, pouring over screen captures, re-watching the movie, and drawing out stencils for the shapes needed... and I realize how much I loved doing this "creative work", and how much I've missed it since being so busy with school at University. It makes me plan, think, troubleshoot and solve in a non-stressful kind of way. I'm always expecting more from myself in this respect because I know I can make some pretty good things, I'm not going to lie. I don't mean to sound pompous or like I'm bragging, but when it comes to imitating something, I'm pretty good at making clay replicas.

Anyway, so I'm about 30% done Wall-E's parts (there are a lot of details in his little robot character). Yay! I  have a picture but it's on my camera and I can't be bothered to upload it right now... (I've used about 1/2 of a yellow block just for the outer shell of Wall-E's body). I was at Michael's craft store today buying more Sculpey because I was out of the colours I needed, and I was kind of shocked at how expensive this stuff is! I still have the metallic Sculpey my cousin gave me like when I was 12 (eep 12 years ago!) so I don't have to buy this stuff that often, but man, at up to $4 each, that's insane! I decided to cop out and buy some "Craftsmart" brand of polymer clay for $2.29 each, and I have to say, it's not bad. I like that it is softer than Sculpey III, which makes it easier to handle and less hard on the hands (muscles get tired!), and while the colour range is somewhat limited, the colours are vibrant and nice. I also like that the Craftsmart polymer clay is very smooth in texture -- I found that certain Metallic Sculpey III colours were kind of flakey and wouldn't hold together well. I haven't baked it yet, so that's an entirely different story that I'll have to update on later.

I always feel good about myself when I can use my talents to help someone... what better way than to help my brother with his wedding?! There's a little more pressure than usual (self-imposed) just because it IS for my brother's wedding and there will be photos of the cake, most likely, and then any flaws will be photographed and preserved forever... O_o... gotta make it pretty darn well near perfect.

Gadgets and fasting

I picked up my new laptop yesterday! I quite like it. I'm probably most impressed with the keyboard, as it is one of those chiclet keyboards, so it's got a really nice tactile feel to it, and I don't feel like my fingers are pressing other keys, like with the regular laptop keyboard. The battery life is AMAZING on this thing, and I was able to transfer most of my stuff and re-install most of the important programs... I need to uninstall Office 2010 and install 2007 because I don't have the serial key for 2010. Boo! Oh well. The one teensy drawback on this machine is that it doesn't come with an optical drive -- so in order to install Office 2007, I need to buy a portable optical drive. >.< Then again, this is like the one time I'll be needing it, so I guess I can't complain...

As the title of this post suggests, yes, fasting! I don't normally engage in this, but I was feeling kind of bloated for the last week likely from the combination of eating badly (I was eating a lot of refined/processed stuff and carb-laden stuff) and not exercising because I had papers to write. So yesterday I did a fast for most of the day, drinking only fresh-pressed carrot juice from my Breville Juicer. I had dinner with my mom and she made fish and veggies, so it was perfect. I'm actually finding that I'm really enjoying fish, and prefer it over beef, pork, or chicken. Fish actually is easier to digest than beef, pork, and chicken too, so it's better for you.

DONE DONE DONE!!!

I finished all the essays that needed to be completed and stood between me and freedom -- my main motivating factor that allowed me to punch out an entire essay in 1 night? My computer is ready for pick up and I want to get it tomorrow. Hahahaha.

So I'm officially freed from the shackles that U of T had over my life.. for a little while anyway. YAY!

Not My Cup of Tea

Not My Cup of Tea

LOL...

This Sandwich is dedicated to you, dad

I do love sandwiches dearly... there's something about them that brings about fond childhood memories. My dad would always make my lunch as a child, and I actually remember having the same kind of sandwich for 4 years until I finally grew tired of it (Mock chicken loaf and margarine, in case you're wondering). Whenever my mom made my sandwiches for a change, you could taste the love in them (or maybe it was mayonnaise...) and how she carefully layered each condiment into the sandwich (Not that my dad didn't make them with love... he was just busy making 4 lunches in the morning). I think that since my father passed away, I have missed the sandwiches that he used to make, and I would like to make this post dedicated to him.

New Computer

I just bought a new computer today! My Dell Inspiron 1525 has been giving me problems lately, and I feel like it's slowly threatening to blow up and stop working sometime soon. I bought this computer in Aug 2008, which wasn't that long ago... but already it's had to be serviced because of some malfunctioning fans, and reformatted a good 3 times (and has given me the blue screen of death a few times since then). So.. it's time.

Of course, whenever I need tech help, I turn to my brothers, who claim "Looking at computers makes [them] happy". One of my brothers recommended the ASUS U31SD-XA1, on sale for $599.99 at NCIX (sale ends today).

 Here are the specs:

• Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
• Display: 13.3-inch LED-backlit HD display (1366 x 768)
• Processor: 2nd generation Intel Core i3-2310M processor (2.1GHz)
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 520M 1GB GDDR3 VRAM
• WLAN: 802.11 b/g/n (@ 2.4GHz)
• LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet
• Memory: 4GB DDR3 SDRAM, 2 x SODIMM Sockets (up to 8GB)
• Storage: 500GB 5400RPM hard drive
• Camera: 0.3 megapixel
• Speakers: Stereo speakers with EAX 5.0 sound
• Microphone: Digital Array Microphone
• Card Reader: 3-in-1 card reader (MMC/SD/MS)
• Input / Output:1 x Mic-in, 1 x Headphone-out, 1 x VGA port/Mini D-Sub 15-pin for external monitor, 3 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x USB 3.0 port, 1 x Gigabit LAN, 1 x HDMI
• Battery: 8 cell
• Dimensions: 12.9 x 9.2 x1–inches (W x D x H)
• Weight: 4lbs (with 8 cell battery)
• Color: Silver

What I'm really excited about is the battery life -- it's supposed to last about 10 hours! I can't even disconnect my current Dell for more than 2 minutes without it dying, so anything will be better than what I currently have. The processor will be faster than mine (which means games will run nicely...) and it'll have a bigger HD.

I don't think this laptop comes with an optical drive, but that's ok, whatever, I barely even use mine. I only really need it if I had to re-install Windows or something, so I'll probably get an external cd rom for when I REALLY need it.

So.. yes. That will be exciting. I am hoping it will be ready for pick up by Friday or at the latest, Monday... then I can start transferring files and stuff so my computer is school-ready by January.