(Also known as the late year ender post for the year 2010 and a little bit of looking to the year ahead.)

I know this blog entry is really late — given the fact that we are now in the second week of 2011 — but I really wanted to take note a few things about the past year. 2010 has been a really good year for me, especially the first three quarters. Before the clock stroked 0000 on the eve of 2011, I was checking Twitter, and a few people that I follow there said that 2010 was pretty bad for them and they’re hoping that the new year would bring a lot of fortune for them. So I guess, I was lucky and blessed last year and I hope that won’t end there.

(I’ve inserted some of my tweets in this post to add a little bit of entertainment. :P )

Getting Groggy during Graveyard Shift

One of the most fun and memorable experiences I had last year was way back in February and March when I had my first taste on how it is to be on a graveyard shift in the hospital. Well, it’s easier than the other shifts because there is less work during the middle of the night, the only thing that makes it hard is that you have to stay awake when your body was trained to be asleep.

And because there was only little to do, during my duty with my group mates, we played Uno and Monopoly Deal at the hospital. Actually, it was our clinical instructor who suggested it, so we were not in any kind of trouble. On the last day of our duty — another graveyard shift — we didn’t handle patients, we only played from start to end of our duty (and one of the other groups who was with us had a movie marathon). How awesome were we? Here are some tweets from that time:

This week was fun, even though it’s very taxing, thanks to Monopoly and Uno. -February 26, 2010

I just got home from my graveyard shift. My Mom was surprised to see me. She thought I was about to leave. Super LOL. -March 16, 2010

We just stopped playing Monopoly and Uno a few minutes ago because it’s almost time to go. -March 17, 2010

I hope my college won’t be alarmed with this. :P

College and Thereafter

The highlight of my life last year was obviously graduating from college and passing the Nursing Licensure Examination in just one take. Until now, months after that I’ve learned that I’m a registered nurse in the country, it still amazes me, owing to the fact that I never intended to be a nurse. I survived four agonizing years in nursing school and dispatched one of the biggest hurdles in my life barely scathed. But since then, I’ve only been bumming at home, which I admit was probably the worst way to end a year when I was consistently on high, and equally the worst way to start a brand new year.

Related post: The New and Improved Louie

We were just declared as graduates! -March 26, 2010

I answered 450 practice questions for the board exam today. It was very boring, annoying, and CSF draining all at the same time. -April 23, 2010

OMG! I. PASSED. THE. NLE. THIS IS MAJOR MAJOR FUN!!! -August 27, 2010

I might start looking for a job soon, but I don’t believe I will be able to find a real job that will fit my credentials. But what I really want right now is to go back to school. No, I’m not yet planning to take a master’s degree, I want to take another undergraduate degree, something that would suit me, preferably an engineering course. But that’s an absurd idea right now.

Bitter Bibliomaniac

For the two past years, I’m becoming more of a bibliophile than an actual reader of books. It’s scary. The ratio of the books that I’ve acquired last year to the books that I’ve actually read in the same year is close to 2.5:1. Now, tell me that that is not scary. I’m spending so much money on books (well, except for the books that I’ve acquired through BookMooch), and now they’re only gathering dust in my shelves.

However, even though I was only able to read seven books last year (prior to that, I was able to finish 15 books), I was able to discover high quality books which I think would turn into classics eventually. My great finds for last year were John Green’s “Looking for Alaska” which I read while reviewing for my licensure examination, and the Millennium Trilogy (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “The Girl who Played with Fire,” and “The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”) by Stieg Larsson.

Yay. I found a copy of John Green’s Looking for Alaska. Gonna read this after the boards. -June 17, 2010

1/2 John Green’s Looking for Alaska is awesome. I know I said that I’ll read this after my boards. -June 21, 2010

2/2 But I changed my mind. I have to finish it as soon as possible, or better, today. -June 21, 2010

Done reading the scary part in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but the worst isn’t over yet. More scary parts, for sure. 30% left! -August 03, 2010

This is pure entertainment. Reading The Girl who Played with Fire. Although I know what would happen, I can’t help but to feel thrilled. -August 06, 2010

I read 279 pages from The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest this day. Gonna stop now so I can sleep. -August 09, 2010

For this year, 2011, I’m hoping that I would be able to read a lot of books. And I promise to limit my trips to bookstores. I’m starting this year with a classic, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. I tried to read it years before, but because of the narrow spacing that was used in the book, I stopped reading it. Now, I have a new copy, it has better spacing, and it’s even a limited edition, so I’m really motivated to read it from page one to the last page.

Related post: The Library, a list of books I’ve read over the years.

The Future

2011 will surely be another year full of surprises. Nobody knows what’s in store for us in the coming months — sorry, I don’t believe Zenaida Zeva, the Chinese, or any other person who says they could see the future — so we better watch out and be prepared always! I don’t know where 2011 will bring me, but I hope 2011 will be a better year for me and everyone of you. Happy MMXI!