My 15/24th-Month Duty

Today marks my 15th months of being an occupational health nurse away from home. Nine (9) more months to wait and my contract in my current company will end. So far, I am doing well in this structurally booming gulf-country of Qatar. I have endured 15-month of homesickness, isolation, extreme heat and cold climate, early wake-up duties, and speaking Arabic-Hindi-English languages at one time.

During my 15 months of on-site duty, our first site (Samrya Twin Towers) where I did my first duty is almost done. The 45-floor commercial building is on its finishing stage.

My company's site project - Samrya Twin Towers

And at this moment, my duty was already transferred to our new project site. A 44-floor apartment named G44. The company is on digging and basement-construction phase.

my company's new site - G44 Project

Random Events

A lot of things occurred this past few days in relation to my work but I couldn’t scribbled any of these during my spare time in the clinic or even in our accommodation because of one reason: my internet mobile broadband subscription has reached its maximum credit limit! My subscription was temporarily disconnected. In short, I’m offline for the past few days.

I was thinking twice if I would permanently cancel my mobile broadband since my 12-month subscription will end this coming July. This broadband provided me headaches during the course of my subscription because most of the times I exceeded to my mobile data usage limit. It sucks to know I have to pay more than 600 riyals again instead of only 160 riyals for my monthly subscription. Good thanks for the Pacquiao-Bradley Fight, Boston-Miami NBA Western Conference Finals, and Papa Jack of Love Radio because these cost me a lot of data usage for their live streaming. Anyhow, those events or programs were worth to watch and listen to. But, I just can’t get over with my bill yet – yes! until now because once this bill is converted to Peso it costs me 7,000+ pesos, enough to buy an Adidas Adizero shoe! :/


Thanks for the unsecured wifi in the vicinity of our new site (offices) i could get online though the signal is very scant and slow. Pwede na pagtiyagaan! 

On another incident, last weekend I attended my first ever Immediate Life Support (ILS) training here in Hamad International Training Center, the lone department of Hamad General Corporation that provides training to medical practitioners within the state of Qatar. The ILS provider course is in accordance to the standards of European Resuscitation Council and its counterpart of it in the Philippines is the Advanced Cardio-Pulmonary Life Support (ACLS) of American Heart Association (AHA). The primary aim of this ILS course is to train health care personnel in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, in simple airway management and safe defibrillation (manual and/or Automatic External Defibrillator – AED), enabling the providers to manage patients in cardiac arrest until arrival of cardiac arrest team and participate as members of that team. So as one of the healthcare providers, it is my duty to equip myself with apt skills and knowledge. The course runs over for one day which consists of lectures and practical stations. Our course manual was given to me upon my application which was several weeks ago before my final schedule. The training started at 8:00 AM and ended at 4:00 PM. So far, the training went very smoothly without hitch, all the candidates were eager to learn and participate, and all the lecturers were skilled as well as humorous. Generally, I enjoyed the training throughout the course.

My ILS Manual, Certificate, and License Card

FYI: For those who want to undergo such training or other courses, drop by at the Hamad International Training Center I: PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar (near the White Palace Intersection/Signal) or visit their website at http://site.hmc.org.qa/hitc1/index.htm

Also, last Sunday, when I was preparing myself for site duty at 4:00 AM, our time keeper knocked at our room and asked for help if I could check one of the Nepali labors at room 36 in our accommodation. He said, the person was not responding or moving anymore in his bed. So without hesitation, I went to the said room straight away and find the person in right side-lying position (almost in prone position). I tapped his shoulders to wake him up and yes he was right, there was no response. So I grabbed his shoulders and positioned him to lie on his back (at that time I could feel his cold and quite stiff body). I got my mobile phone (with LED light) and checked his both pupils using my phone. Unfortunately, his pupils were already dilated (didn’t react to light anymore). I palpated for his carotid pulse but it was already pulseless. His lips were almost grayish. His body was cold and rigid. His left hand was in closed fist and holding his left chest. His right hand was also in close fist and his elbow was flexed. His appearance was most probably a signs of  struggles from heart attack. So based from his current situation, I never attempted for resuscitation. The guy was already lifeless for 2-3 hours, I guess. So I told his roommates that I felt sorry for them because he was already dead. My fellow nurse entered the room and tried to check again for any signs of life. But he failed to find any. 


Then everyone in the room started to buzz. Commotion arouse. So we went outside of the room because a crowd of labors began to go inside and see for themselves the situation going on. They started calling up our camp manager (campus). Just in few minutes, our campus arrived and checked the person’s body. Right away, he called up the ambulance (999). The ambulance and the Qatari police arrived in few minutes and tried dismissing the people to go outside the room. Then, inquiry and investigation took place. At that time, a large number of labors, consisting of Nepalese and Hindi (Indians) agreed not to go to work (site) anymore. Their longed grievances and sentiments towards the company started to unleash. They find an ally in the presence of the police. I, myself was a witness of unpleasant condition of my company’s labor force. 


But in fairness to my company, we have a much secured vast accommodation, water and electricity are abundant. However, they complained for the food prepared by the mess hall, the dirty toilets, their overcrowded rooms, and their 2-3 yrs old bed. Some of these were truly acceptable but in my own personal experience living with them, some of these are none to be blamed but the labor themselves. The toilet became dirty because most of them spit out anywhere (it makes even worse because of the presence of tobacco they were spitting out – it stains the toilet cubicle walls), they twist the faucet facing up so the water would come like a shower, they took a bath using the sink’s faucet rather than cubicle, sometimes they left the toilet bowl without flashing their feces. So, what made it worst, the campus never implement rules regarding these kinds of poor deeds. I think my two cents here is that both parties have shortcomings from each other. The company failed to provide a new and clean bed, sufficient food supply, or enough rooms for them however its employees should also exhibit proper care to the facilities provided to them like the toilets. Really, every races or nationalities have different manners and behaviors. I myself, I have to adapt and extend my tolerance in pleasing them. Anyways, I felt sad about what happened to the Nepali guy who suffered a heart attack that morning but at the same time happy because of the decision of the labors for work holiday. By the way, I kept on speculating, how this 26-year old guy suffered from heart attack? Hmmm.

Labors readying themselves for work

Another dilemma surfaced this week was that my laptop’s keyboard was now crazy! I don’t know what the real crux because the cursor kept on jumping to another line while I am typing. When I pressed the space bar, the right-click option appears, and so the other key pads. As a matter of fact, I made this post the entire day (I was just lucky because no accidents happened in the site) even my laptop is crazy. And what makes the worst of all these dilemmas? This 1-year old laptop will end its warranty this week and the LG service center where I purchased this one is indefinitely closed until further notice because of the mall’s failure from fire and safety inspections by the Ministry of Civil Defense.

My laptop with crazy keyboard!

Summer in Qatar as Nurse

Just yesterday, the Ministry of Labor released a notice reminding all companies and establishments especially those which engages in construction sites that the working hours of all employees/workers/labors should not exceed 11:30AM and at afternoon the work shall not start later than 3:00PM. The notice was in accordance to the memorandum No.16 of the ministry in relation to the extreme summer felt by the state. Extreme heat is typically recorded during the June until the end of September. The hottest mean temperature is usually 40 degree Celsius and even higher. There are instances that the state experiences 50 degree Celsius between June and August.

So, to lessen the number of people working in bare sites who experiences the ill effects of extreme heat and high humidity, the ministry obliges all employers to post the required time table and their workers/labors be notified. So any work sites which disobeys the memorandum would be sanctioned appropriately.

Change of working hours during summer in construction sites in Qatar

As a nurse from bare sites, summer season is the busiest duty for us. A considerable number of labors/workers experience heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and or even death in which they suddenly collapse while working which may be caused by working under  extreme hot weather and high humidity. Most commonly, the patient/s experiences severe headache, dizziness, dehydration, high blood pressures, hypoglycemia (blood sugar depletion); these signs and symptoms need immediate medical response and first aid from us. We even provides glucose solution with water and salt to replenish the water and minerals they have lost through perspiration.

Our company's work time table this summer season

My company, which is basically, engages in trading and construction industry also changed our working schedule from 6:30Am – 5:30PM to a broken working hours: 5:30AM – 11:30PM then from 3:00 – 7:30 PM. Personally, this schedule really sucks. It seems that I am on duty the whole day (of course without overtime pay). Imagine being in the clinic for 14 hours without overtime excluding the 2 hours trip we spent going from and to our accommodation. Most probably, there's no spare time left for me to play basketball or even watch a single movie. Tsk tsk.. this is just one of the bad parts of being an occupational health nurse based in construction sites. I always go with the labors schedule. Our labors working time is also my working time. As of this time, it’s almost 5:50PM. I should have been inside the bus on trip going back to our accommodation. But here I was, tipping my laptop’s keyboard. As a consolation to myself, if not with this present change of work schedules, maybe, it would take me some time to update again my blog. Now i have  ample time to think and write something worthwhile to post :) Alhamdullah!

Game of Champions

I can’t wait! Tomorrow would be a Sunday of full-packed action morning for all sport-lovers out there because of the NBA Eastern Conference winner-take-all game 7 between Boston Celtics and Miami Heats and most importantly the welterweight fight of our very own champ Manny Pacquiao against unbeaten challenger Timothy Bradley Jr. in MGM, Las Vegas. These kinds of events makes our heart pumped like there’s no more tomorrow. It’s a blissful treat to all manly individuals after a week-long hard work. This would be going to be one long leisurely day of televised sports action.

After losing each on the road Game 5 by Celtics and Game 6 by Heats, whose team would be the last team standing? Is it the younger big three of the Miami or the veteran big three of the Boston? This game is really worth watching for. They deserves to keep your remote at your side and watch them as they played as its their last game of their whole NBA career. Goodluck to your team!

Who's your bet? is it the 8th time world champion in 8 division WBO welterweight champ or the unbeaten aggressive WBO light welterweight champ? This bout would be another exciting clash between two champion, both of with character of aggression inside the ring. This time, its better to spent your day inside your house and sit in front of your TV or laptop than to go outside or sleep.

To all individuals who rely on the web, there are lots of web links that offers free viewing of these games instead of acquiring the pay-per-view (PPV) sites. For the NBA games, usually this are offered free at any sports website but boxing fights are somehow different. Pacquiao-Bradley clash would cost you for at least $50 in a live pay-per-view online. Since I am no different from others who want to watch the fight live without spending any bucks, a reliable friend of mine directed to this link. You can watch it live and free on the net! Hmmm sounds excited? Here’s the link:

http://www.thefirstrow.eu/sport/boxing-wwe-ufc.html

Goodluck to your bet and Enjoy watching!

Transit of Venus

Does anyone have witnessed today the phenomenon so called “Transit of Venus?” According to US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Philippines is one of the best places on earth to witness this kind of rare astronomical event in this lifetime.

The “Transit of Venus” is an alignment that occurs when planet Venus passes between the Earth and the sun. This rare phenomena, which happens only twice with eight years gap, takes place approximately every 105 years. The first transit of this lifetime occurred in 2004 and the last was today, 2012. The next new transit would be taking place in 2117.

Based on my own experience, i never seen the said rare event today. For the reason, obviously, that I am currently working in the State of Qatar where we could never ever had the possibility to view the Venus' transit. As a remedy, I posted some screen shots grabbed from the other online sources who witnessed the planet Venus' transition to the sun. Here they are:

Random shots from different sources:

Peaking at 9:35 AM on Wednesday, the transit of Venus wows astronomers and enthusiasts
at the PAGASA Astronomical Observatory in UP Diliman, Quezon, City. Roehl Nino Bautista

Venus halfway through her 2012 transit of the sun, in a Nasa screen grab.

The Transit of Venus viewed from El Dorado Observatory in Placerville on Tuesday, June 5, 2012.
Randall Benton/RBenton@sacbee.com

An image from NASA shows Venus at the start of its transit of the sun on June 5, 2012.
Reuters/NASA/AIA/SDA

Just for a thought: How this rare event be compared in relation to our lives? It is a common knowledge to everybody that the sun is the center and the biggest body among the solar universe. The planets and the planet’s moon is almost a dot as compared to the sun. And to God’s eye view, the creator of universe and beyond, all are the same as dots. Every person is the same as dot when one is watching on top of the highest building on earth. Whilst all buildings are the same as dots when one is watching above the clouds. And even the planet Venus is just like a dot in its transit to the sun as seen from the other planet, the Earth. Can anyone get my point? in this world, no one deserves to be treated as superior or greater against to anyone. As human, we should see or treat each others equally without bias or discrimination. the point is some may be better in life as compared to others in terms of money, fame, social status, achievements, awards, appearance, and intelligence but in reality all of us are only dots, in God's own view.

Brutal Death from the Hands of the Hopes of the Fatherland (Caught on Video)

If Dr. Jose Rizal is alive in this generation, he might regret saying his famous old adage: “The youth are the hopes of the fatherland.” Nowadays, more and more youths and teenagers are getting involved either in petty or heinous crimes in the Philippines. It’s a sad truth that instead these young people should be busy in their school work, they are rather dispersedly loitering in the streets assaulting others. Let’s take an example of the brutal murder of a prominent pulmonologist Dr. Andres Gumban inside his house in Bacolod City. I am aware of this news because I read this online almost 2 weeks ago but, honestly, I find it same-old-typical crime story since this kind of offense involving teens are not new in the Philippines. However, this week the police investigators discovered that the cruel killing of the pulmonologist was intentionally recorded through his mobile phone by one of the suspects. The video, which runs for 5 minutes and 18 seconds, shows how the suspects did the killing and the video was released and posted in youtube. Upon seeing the video, I can’t imagine what was going in their mind, why they could easily do such grisly offense. Frankly, I really hate the video - it was very disturbing and shocking! I can’t believe these two teens could do that. Considering they are purportedly the hopes of our fatherland. Their generation that is supposedly would bring and propel the country to change and progression. But, these two devastated the high regard of Dr. Jose Rizal to the youths. They choose to become murderers and notorious. Now, they will spend half of their lives behind the cold and rusty bars of prison cells. It’s so frustrating..

Screen shot of suspects: a 16-year old and an 18-year old Pascual Jr.

The News:

BACOLOD CITY (Updated with corrections) -- Police discovered Tuesday a five-minute video footage of the killing of Dr. Andres Gumban, who was found dead with 35 stab wounds all over his body.

The video footage, discovered from the mobile phone of one of the suspects, showed how a 16-year-old resident of Barangay Magsaysay, Cadiz City, and Fof Pascual Jr., 18, resident of Barangay Tadlong, Sagay City, Negros Occidental, murdered the physician inside his house at DC-3, Regent Pearl Subdivision in Barangay Alijis, this city last Thursday, May 10.

(Police earlier named the 16-year-old suspect, stressing that he failed to present proof that he is a minor. The family of the suspect, however, presented Wednesday night a copy of the suspect's birth certificate from the National Statistics Office stating that he is indeed 16 years old.)

City Health Medico Legal Dr. Ely Cong said that based on autopsy report, the victim sustained 35 stab wounds; his throat was slashed and a V-shaped wound was found in his right upper head.

Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) Director Ricardo De la Paz said that based on the video footage discovered from the minor suspect's mobile phone, the victim was trying to use the faucet when attacked by the two.

Before the attack happened, the minor suspect placed his cellular phone at the top of the window to capture their cruel acts. The video showed him and Pascual half naked while walking in-and-out from the room of Gumban while the victim was at the back of his house.

When Gumban went inside and tried to use the faucet, the 16-year-old took a stone and hit the victim at the back of his head. Pascual then stabbed the doctor in his chest.

The suspects immediately pulled the victim inside the restroom.

The minor took the bladed weapon from Pascual and slashed the throat of the doctor. Pascual closed the door, leaving the 16-year-old suspect inside while he continued stabbing the victim.

While the minor continued stabbing the victim inside the restroom, Pascual served as look-out and continued walking in and out from the room of Gumban while texting.

The video also showed that Gumban was fighting for his life, as he managed to open the door of the restroom but the minor immediately pulled him again inside and locked the door.

Gumban continued asking for help until he was killed by the minor inside the restroom.

When the doctor was dead, the minor opened the door of the restroom and slipped on the floor because of the blood stains.

The suspects then washed their hands and feet at the faucet.

The minor took the cellular phone at the top of the window while singing and smiling. Then, he took footages of the victim who was lying dead inside the restroom. 

(The video contains brutal scenes which may be very offensive and disturbing. Watch with proper guidance)

He said robbery with homicide/murder charges were filed Tuesday before the City Prosecutor's Office against the two suspects.

The minor earlier claimed that he was taking a bath when the doctor, allegedly armed with a kitchen knife, went inside the bathroom and tried to molest him. He said it was out of self-defense that a scuffle ensued, ending in the victim's death.

Pascual also claimed he was watching TV when the incident happened. He said he was surprised when he saw the dead doctor at the bathroom. Out of fear, he said he tried to get out of the house but he was nabbed by the victim’s neighbors.

Police who responded to the crime scene recovered the stone and bladed weapon used by the suspects in the killing, but police authorities could not explain why the suspects took video footage of their crime.

De la Paz said when they recovered the cellular phones of the suspects, the minor refused to open his phone, which was locked. It was opened, though, through the help of an electronic technician.

The city director said the two suspects admitted that they are drug users and “call boys.”

Investigation also revealed that the suspects were already planning to rob and kill the victim.

(Sun.Star Bacolod/Sunnex)


Published in the Sun.Star Bacolod newspaper on May 16, 2012.