“Tit-tit!Tit-tit!Tit-tit!” I woke up to the continuous beeping of my mobile phone. At first I thought that I was just dreaming. But there goes my phone again, wailing in the wee hours of the morning. I swear I could’ve thrown it out of my sight if only I didn’t remember how much it cost me to buy that precious scrap of technology. And so, I was...

Hopefully, I learn new things every year -- every day even. But some are more memorable than others. Here, then, is a list of the more memorable things I’ve learned this year. • With respect to the person who started the thread by the similar name, there are three kinds of people: There are those who get it, and there are those who...

Nursing was never really my cup of tea. I never pictured myself wearing whites and a fancy little white cap. As a child, my dream was to become an engineer, a civil engineer. This manifested as I grew up being fond of drawing different, sometimes weird, structures and solving complicated math problems. Taking up nursing never even crossed my mind....

I am a people pleaser. I consider it a fault at times, especially when it compromises my goals. I realized this need to be liked early in my life, and it led to an aversion to confrontation and an inability to be assertive. I am not “quick on my feet” with verbal quips, and sometimes my silence is interpreted as concession. Being mindful of this...

It was not a difficult decision to pursue a career in nursing when my first career came to an abrupt halt. I had been an elementary school teacher for six years, enduring two layoffs and finally a school closure. None of the schools had any sort of medical staff. My nurturing character and lack of aversion to bodily fluids gave me the qualities...