oh say, can you sing?

how did i end up leading the singing of the philippine national anthem in front of nurses and doctors and their families at the PNA (philippine nurses' association) of new jersey's fundraising party on saturday night? well, i was kind of "forced" into doing it. saying no was not an option. but at least my evening of line-dancing and buffet food was paid for, and i won one of the door prizes by way of raffle: a gift basket filled with men's grooming stuff. haha.

tita lisa, a very close family friend who's a groovy ER nurse and a nursing professor was the one who enlisted me. her own daughter sang the "star spangled banner". thank god it wasn't me, because singing it is far more challenging than the consistent vocal pattern in "lupang hinirang." and besides, don't divas sing the american anthem at superbowls and such big sporting events? people tend to gawk at the person leading the song instead of singing along. i am but a mere videoke vixen, whose voice is content with imitating madonna's pop songs. she phoned me one day and simply said, "you're singing the anthem at the party!"

"but i'm NOT a nurse!"--i retorted.

"it doesn't matter, hija, we just want you to sing."

i didn't attempt a diva-fied version of the anthem...that would be inviting disaster. i kept my voice simple and constant to the marching tempo of the song. the result was a clean, good-enough rendition. some family friends who were also there complimented on how well i sang. they're too kind! haha. so that's my short-lived stint as a singer in public. you'll hear me again whenever there's a magic sing device at someone's party. haha.

my mother, aunt, and uncle--all nurses--were among those welcomed by the organization as new members for the 2008-2o1o term. there was even supposed to be a romanian honorary member who unfortunately didn't make it that night. she's the sweetest romanian nurse you'll ever meet at my mom's hospital--she's also a fan of filipino food.

it was interesting to know how much the PNA of america has achieved in promoting the welfare of filipino nurses in the united states. its incoming president, leo jurado (whose own achievements in the field of nursing are remarkably stellar), gave an inspiring and insightful speech as to how they have lobbied to abolish the CGFNS requirement for filipino nurses in NJ for its being redundant on top of the NCLEX; and more importantly, through PNA's efforts, the NCLEX became available in manila for nurses in the philippines wishing to take it. his life has been devoted to improving the image of the filipino nurses. personally, i do believe our nurses are the best in the world.