T-storms and Tornado Alert in Hugoton, Kansas

Today is a scary day.  We are on thunderstorms and tornado alert until 10 pm tonight.  After work, I went home to collect my essentials and went back to the hospital for shelter.  My apartment has no basement.  Fortunately, the hospital where I work is just 2 blocks away.  It does not take me 5 minutes to walk and less than 3 minutes to drive. 

Outside the hospital, I saw scary cloud formation.  I saw clouds moved pretty fast.  Somehow we are blessed today.  The winds changed direction.  It moved away from our county.  We have to be on alert though - not only until tonight, but on the coming days.  Tornado season has started. 

ROADTRIP: When Ms. Dumb Meets Mrs. Dumber - Part I

Going on a road trip is exciting.  There are many beautiful scenarios and memorable experiences. Early this year, I have been traveling to different states particularly in Midwest.  I usually travel with my friends.  Just a couple of months ago, my friend and I went to Oklahoma and Dallas to shop.  The trip was nice and fun.  It was like an adventure. Never a day in our three days trip that we missed a moment of fun.  Actually, it was funny after surviving a disaster but going through it was quite scary and stupid. 

The first mishap that we had been through happened in Wichita Falls, where I booked two nights for sleep over.  We did not know exactly where our motel was located, so we relied on our GPS.  I must admit that somehow GPS is like a necessity for travelers like us. It was not dark yet when we drove to find our motel.  I had been driving the whole day so my friend volunteered to drive.  While driving, she noticed the driver of the truck in my right side of the passenger seat opened his car window and  forcefully shove his arm downwards.  He was trying to tell us something by his hand gesture.  When I saw him, I got scared.  Just few days before our road trip, my colleagues and I had conversation regarding people who mislead other drivers by giving warning or distress signs.  When the driver stops, these people hold-up or do inhumane things to their poor victims.  At that time, I remembered all that we had talked about so I got scared and told my friend not to mind the driver at my side.  I told her our gas tank is full and I had my car serviced before the trip so there should be nothing wrong with my car.  The driver who looked like Hulk Hogan, my favorite wrestler, persistently changed lane to my friend's side and tried to tell her something.  Our windows were closed, so we can not hear anything.   We became more scared.  I told my friend to pull-over in a restaurant since we were driving in a busy high way.   She told me to better drive straight to our destination so that we could rest.

Our GPS led us to several turns.  We felt relieved when the truck driver stopped  following us.  While nearing a secluded intersection a few miles away from the city center, I noticed a police car following us.  My friend stopped our car and told me to take out my registration and license.  I did.  A young policeman went out of his patrol car and looked inside our car using his  flash light.  We were totally scared to the bones and tried to think of the possible violation we had committed.  We can not think of anything.   My friend opened her window to show her license to the police. The police asked us where we came from and what we were doing there.  We told him we came from Kansas and we had been driving the whole day.  He then asked us if we knew we were driving without overhead beam lights on.  What?  Lights?  My friend simply forgotten to turn on our lights.  It was night time.  Although it was not very dark but we were supposed to have lights on.  The cars and post lights in  the busy street lighted our way so we did not noticed we had no lights.  Considering we were kind of "lost tourists,"  the young policeman showed us mercy.  We were warned not to do it again though.  We were so thankful we did not get a ticket.

When the policeman was gone, we realized the intention of the truck driver.  He was trying to tell us that we did not have our overhead beam lights on.  Personally, I think I was too paranoid then.  I simply lost my commonsense. I think too much.  I was kind of Dumb and my friend was Dumber.  I consider her dumber because she should know better.  She has been driving since the day I was born.  That was almost three decades ago.  Or I could be the dumber.  Since I am the writer, I will take up the dumb and she is the dumber.  We continued driving and laughed our way until we reach our lodging safe and sound.  It was a very memorable night.

From my Patient's View

I got a patient today who was very interested to know more about body functions.  While I was doing phlebotomy, we talked on how perfect our body is.  He told me how he wonder why other people does not believe in God.  Only God could create entities like us.  Our body is like a perfect machine.  Later, he asked me if I know that each side of our brain controls the opposite side of our body. I said yes...  It's true that our left brain controls the movements, feeling and everything in our right part of the body and the right brain controls everything in our left body part.  Then, he said while smiling sheepishly that only those who are left handed got the RIGHT BRAIN!  

Here Comes the New Year

Today is the first day of the month of January 2011.  Wow!  I can not help to think that time flies so fast.  I remember I was just a young kid who wanted to become a teenager to do a lot of girl's stuff. I can not wait to finish school to go out of our house, find a work and live on my own.  Now, I sometimes think father Time should move a little bit slower so that I can enjoy more.  At fun times, I think slow mo is good, but at bad times, it makes suffering worst.

Last year, everything is a thing of the past.  What ever happened are experiences that were meant to teach lessons.  I learned a lot to get by.  The harder it was the more effective for me.  I do not wish to learn in a hard way, yet there are instances that are beyond the control of an ordinary person. If it is not due to one's stupidity, then, I call it fate.  Sometimes, fate plays a trick in the life of a person.  There are many twists and turns in life.  A life-staggering encounter can be experienced yesterday and a great joy the following day. 

I look forward for this year.  I do not know what lays  ahead.  I am quite sure though that human as I am, I am bound to commit wrong moves.  I will just charge it to experience.  A person can never know the limits of his potential unless he tries things.  The future holds surprises.  If one exerts effort to achieve something, most likely, he will reap the fruit of his labor.  There are many things the mind can think of doing.  However, actual application of perceived things are hard to do.  There are many factors that serve as obstacles.  I think one's self is the biggest hindrance to overcome.  I think each person thinks of many reasons why his idea will not work out.

It's new year - a new beginning... Life will stay the same as yesterday or last year if a person will not try new things.  As years move on, life should move on too.  After all, life is short and people should live it to the fullest.