Auld Lang Syne to Residents!

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa,'Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviours. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.

For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com

 Day 9: December 30, 2009,Wednesday

It's the day for the year-end super special program at LCRC!! ^_^

Isa na 'to sa pinaka-busy naming araw sa LCRC. from morning 'til night busy much kami talaga. First in the morning, may meeting kami with Sir Al, about the culminating activity for the program, in-assign n'ya sila Lala and Mary para magpasulat sa mga residents ng mga goals and plans nila for the coming year of 2010. Dapat daw yung plans nila, i-make sure nila Mary na maging S-M-A-R-T yung mga residents, as in:

S - pecific

M - easurable

A - ttainable

R - ealistic

T - ime-bound

....yung mga yun. Galing! Pwede magamit para sa New Year's resolution. Hehehe..

Anyway, habang nagpapaka-busy sila sa loob, nag-stay naman kami ni Dana sa visiting area with Haha. Haha was busy with the AVP, while us, busy sa banner for Sir Vito. He has a farewell party, of sort then kasi may missio ata siya somewhere in Visayaz ata? I was grateful then to do his banner, and am sure Dana was as grateful as I am. ^_^ We rushed nga lang kasi ang tagal bago namin talaga naumpisahan yun. Learning: be creative, para pleasing din sa eyes ng iba, especially sa color combination, and refrain from taking easy of works. Tsk. Tsk. We could have made the banner so much better, tsk. Sorry Sir Vito.

As it was Sir Vito's last days at LCRC, we were so fortunate to be granted an hour with him. Kasi before kami mag-start sa program, Sir Vito talked to us practicumers about the bible and living life to the fullest.

That time with Sir Vito was very inspiring indeed, sabi nga ni Lala, sakto, kailangan namin bago yung program, parang blessing na din. I definitely agreed with her.

I think it would take me more than an hour to discuss the whole conversation so I will just give some it, those really marked me since then. With Sir Vito I learned the true meaning and real way of living a life to the fullest. It is, by accepting God inside us. By letting Him enter us. By the time we were able to do so, will be the time that we'll live our life to the fullest. According to Sir Vito as well na hindi kami dapat matakot sa death (or sa'kin lang ata 'to. tsk.), whether it comes right then and there, especially kung saan kami mapupunta (the thought still scares me right now. *sigh.sigh*) after nun. Because there is Jesus who has saved us. He is indeed very forgiving. Sir Vito assured this to us. *relief.relief.*

It was sad to end that conversation, honestly. Sayang at dun lang kami nagka-chance maka-usap si Sir Vito. But we were very thankful na din to have that talk with him, at least. For that, we the practicumers would also want to say:

THANK YOU, GOOD LUCK & GOD BLESS SIR VITO!

 Now, for the super special year-end program, which had the theme of Auld Lang Syne, I would say it went so well. Especially the culminating activity led by Sir Al. Sir Al was really spontaneous. The atmosphere was perfect, the sounds. I did not expect that the residents will react as such to that activity, especially the others. There are others who cried unexpectedly. I'd seen the soft and emotional side of them, at last. And it breaks my heart. I hate seeing somebody cries. It makes me cry as well. :((

So that culminating activity was the high light of the program, but the whole program was a hit!! Congratulations to Lala and Rose for leading and hosting the program, to Sir Al, and to us. yehey!

I wished all of the residents a great new year although some of them might still be inside. Oops! I forget to mention about the Rookie of the Year resident, hopefully next year we'll get to know more about her, and witness her improvements. Each of the residents pala received an award/title which they took so happily. ^_^

Auld Lang Syne! :D

Follow the Rules!

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviours. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.

For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com

 Day 8: December 29, 2009, Tuesday

Since the next day would be the year-end special program of LCRC for the residents, todo-todo practice na ang ginawa namin sa araw na 'to. Pero bago kami mag-practice, ni-meeting ule kami ni Sir Al to remind us of the rules and requirements for practicumers at LCRC. These are the following:

• Testing hours only during: 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. or 3:00 to 5:00 P.M. 
• Do not leave pencils or any sharp objects and other art materials at the visiting area.
• Nap time for practicumers until 1:15 P.M. only.
• Submit only a single link that will include all the blog entries for the journal in LCRC.
• Each group of students from every university must submit a scrapbook about their practicum at LCRC.

 We must obey of these rules and regulations, as a practicumer, and always be mindful about every actions taking place within the LCRC, as much as possible. Sabi ko nga sa nauna kong blog, we must take responsibility with every actions we made. 

Then at afternoon, we led the rehearsal of the residents, in both the song and the dance presentation. Natuwa naman ako sa kanila ngayon kasi may mas gana na sila mag-practice ng kanta at sayaw, kasi kabisado na nila yung tono *yehey!* tsaka yung actions sa chorus. Mas masigla na din sila kumanta ata halos lahat nagpaparticipate na. May iilan pa din talagang hindi masyadong nagpaparticipate unless ma-special mention ni Sir Al. Sa araw din na ito ko napansin yung attitude ng ilang resident. Tulad ng isang male resident na laging nai-special mention ni Sir Al na sumunod sa actions, kasi although lagi siyang natatawag ni Sir, nakikita ko sa kanya na pursigido siyang matutunan yung action at masabayan, kaso nga lang, since may katandaan na din siya, hindi niya siguro nakakayanan sabayan yung mga actions lalo pa't medyo mabilis nga yun. Pero nakikita ko talaga sa kanya na willing siya ata gusto niya talagang matutunan at sumabay sa iba. Pero iba pa din ang power ng presensya ni Sir Al, ika nga sa isang commercial, "nagle-level na!" ang mga responses and actions nila 'pag andyan si Sir Al, medyo malayo kapag kaming mga practicumers lang. Ang hirap. Siguro kailangan din namin mag-set ng authority sa kanila, kaso hindi ko alam kung tama or pwede ba? Hmm.. 

Isip.. Isip..

Anyway, goodluck sa aming year-end super special program!

Communication Skills 101

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviours. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.

For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com

Day 7: December 28, 2009, Monday

Kakabalik lang ni Sir Al from his break nito, so he gathered us agad for meeting early that morning. He asked for updates regarding the previous days na wala siya, especially nung Christmas. Since wala kaming PUPians nun, only Lala and gayle were able to respond. According to Lala, most of the residents were expecting their families to visit, so generally they were excited. Tulad ng sabi ni Sir Al, they will be allowed to spend time with their families, more than the allowed time. Lala mentioned some residents na may bisita while may iilan pa din na wala ata, sadly. Pero yung mas malungkot ay yung nabanggit nila Gayle about sa isang resident, kasi kahit na dumating yung family nya including her child, she was not allowed to meet them personally. That made her cry the whole Christmas daw. :(
Sir Al was surprised with this news, kasi he give permission na to meet and spend time with their families. So he took the responsibility with that. Probabaly there had been miscommunication between the admin and him. So he was to make clarifications with the admin, as well as with the resident regarding that.
Communication indeed is a very essential issue inside the LCRC. Especially when it comes to the residents. When communicating with them, one must it clear or repeat it until maintindihan nila yung gusto mong sabihin sa kanila. At sa LCRC (or kahit saan naman ata), kakambal ng communication ang responsility. One must take responsibility sa bawat sinasabi nila sa mga residents, lalo na siguro kung tungkol yun sa program nila or sa family nila, or kahit sa ano pa, actually.Kaya mahirap siguro talaga maging in-charge sa kanila, yung laging nakikipag-usap sa kanila kasi kailangan mgaing sure ang careful ka sa mga sasabihin sa kanila. Haay. Ang hirap maging Sir Al. tsk.
Sir Al taught us something useful pala na related pa din sa communication. Yun ang "Minimal Prompts." Ito yung "aahhh..", "hhmmm..", na pwedeng isagot sa mga residents sa mga unnecessary conversations. Especially kapag nagpipilit na sila na makipag-kwentuhan sa amin, kasi may mga residents naman na paulit-ulit lang yung mga sinasabi, kinukulit lang kami. So instead na sagutin sila pwede kaming sumagot na "aahh.. (plus yung last two words sa sinabi niya)". instead of these minimal prompts, pwede din kami gumamit ng mga body language or signs lang to stop the unwanted conversation.

A Happy Christmas to the Residents!

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviours. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.
For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com

Day 6: December 26, 2009, Saturday

First Saturday schedule namin sa LCRC ngayon. Feel na feel pa din ang holiday atmosphere kahit saan. A day after Christmas ba naman pa lang. Pagdating ko sa LCRC, sila Jean, Rene, & Lala at Gayle pa lang naabutan ko, with Haha at Dana sa grupo namin. Ang onti namin. Hindi pumunta si Calla (Mary) kasi inuubo sya, samantalang sila Nadz at Bude ay nagbabakasyon na; si Laura naman ay busy sa kamp nila sa church, at ganun din ata si Rio.

Anyway, we started the aerobics by 10:30AM, again lead by Gayle. ^_^ It lasted for an hour. Napagod ako masyado hindi ko na natapos yung cool down. Tsk. I noticed upon entering the session hall (session pala hindi social. Hehe!) that there were few residents left. Siguro yung iba kinuha muna ng mga family nila to spend Christmas together.

After lunch, we (practicumers) had the chance to have our own nap time. Yes! We did slept, all of us. We seemed to be so drained by the aerobics so each of us took our own places in the visiting area and slept. Jean and I were had our comfort zones on the single couches while Lala, Dana and Haha shared in the long couch. Rene, with no couch left was contented with the plastic chair. At past 3PM most of us were awake already and preparing for the afternoon activity which is movie watching! Since it is Christmas, we had Polar Express, courtesy of Haha. :)

Fortunately, the residents were enjoying the movie although it was 5 years earlier (according to a resident) and the fact that it is sort of a cartoon. Well, I myself had enjoyed it. While watching, there some comments from the residents like; “Christmas spirit na talaga oh..” then a female resident asked if it feels Christmas for them already, then another female sort of answered that it is not, kasi walang bumisita sa kanila.  By then I wonder how they would celebrate Christmas, without their family or loved ones. Ang lungkot sobra. Hindi ko tuloy sigurado kung napasaya ba naming sila sa movie na pinalabas naming or iba pa yung nagdulot sa kanila.

Hindi ko maiwasan na malungkot kapag naiisip ko na yung mga residents na hanggang ngayon nandoon pa din, wala pa ding bumibisita. Hindi tama na magkaroon ako ng emotional attachment sa mga residents kaso hindi ko talaga maiwasan, kahit na hindi ko pa sila masyadong nakakausap. Yun din dahilan kung bakit minsan nag-aalangan akong makipagkwentuhan sa kanila kasi baka malaman ko yung mga problema nila, hinanakit, masyado akong maapektuhan. Haay. Bilang isang future psychologist, dapat ko nang matutunan na maiwasan yung kahit anong attachment sa mga magiging patients/clients. Ngayon, isa na ‘to sa mga magiging goal ko during practicum.

Anyway, I am still wishing all of the residents to have a happy Christmas together. ^_^

We're the Art Angels.. Art Angels..

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviours. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.
For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com

 Day 5: December 23, 2009, Wednesday

Wednesday has been my favorite day since elementary, i guess. i could not remember why or how, i just feel lucky whenever it is Wednesday. Sound weird, i admit. haha!

Well, yes, it is my lucky day kasi for the first time naunahan ko si Sir Al sa LCRC. (yehey!) saka si Bude and Haha!! wow! Napatakbo talaga ko nung pinagbuksan ako ng gate nun. Super happy! Sana magtuluy-tuloy. :)kaso late pa din ako, past 8 na ng dumating ako eh..

Dahil early bird ako, i had lots of free time to enjoy, at inenjoy ko talaga. :)

Sumakay kami sa bike ni Kuya Daniel [salamat Kuya Daniel! especially nung binabaan pa nya yung napakataas nýang bike. hehe!]. Lahat kaming PUPian [busy kasi ata sila Lala & others] ay nag-enjoy ng sobra mag-practice sa bike para sa nalalapit naming bonding sa QC Circle. ^_^ kaso hindi talaga ata para sa akin yung bike, na-semplang kasi ako at natumba ng super slow-mo pa daw sabi ng mga nakakita sa akin. nakakahiya naman kina jean & rene & kuya daniel din ata. tsk. dinaan ko na lang sa tawa kasi sobrang nakakatawa naman talaga pagkabagsak ko. inaamin ko, clumsy talaga ko. hehe..

anyway, aside from biking, nag-basketball din kami, tapos kumain ng balimbing from LCRC’s own garden, past time talaga ng mga taga NEU ang mamitas sa mga puno dun at kami ang taga-kain. yay! haha! tapos kumain din kami ng taho. ^_^

that served as our warm up for the activity that morning - aerobics. whew!

the residents had aerobics for morning activity lead by Gayle from UST, and we joined them. we had a long warm up that had really stretched my bones! whew! then we did the main exercise in the tune of Jai-ho! that was really super fun yet nakakapagod. sobra.. but i am sure na nag-enjoy yung mga residents kasi lahat sila nag-participate. dahil dun, congratulations to Gayle! our aerobics guru! sa saturday ule!

for the afternoon activity, instead of movie watching, the residents had a sort of  art activity para gumawa ng something na maibibigay nila sa family nila. nahirapan kakaisip yung group 2 ng kung anong pwede nilang ipagawa sa mga residents. something uncommon. until we came up with choices of a bookmark, a design-a-bear, and a doorknob ‘sabit’ (hehe..). some of us made an example para kopyahin nila.

then during the activity, most of them chose to design the bear (made by haha!). at first i thought it might look so childish to do an activity like that to a group of adults. pero nakita ko na naging excited sila especially nang malaman nila na para yun sa mga loved ones nila. it was touching. kung paano nila pinaganda, pinilit na pagandahin pa at nagsulat ng message para sa mga loved ones nila. some were very private na kahit sa kapwa residents ayaw nila ipabasa yung letter nila while the others are open, even to us practicumers. we were surprised naman ng magparticipate, at last, yung isang resident na hindi namin masyado talaga nakakasama. good for him. :)

during the activity i became quite emotional, or sort of, gusto kong tanungin sila kung para kanino yung message na sinulat nila, kung ano yung nakalagay, especially kapag mahahaba yung letter tapos masyadong seroso yung residents sa pagsusulat. mararamdaman mo yung emotions na nangingibabaw sa kanila: may ibang nag-aalangan kaya maiksi lang yung message, siguro nahihiya or hindi pa lang maisip kung paano sasabihin yung gusto nilang ipaalam sa loved ones nila; while may ibang dire-diretso sa pagsulat, makikita mo yung pagka-miss nila sa mga pamilya nila. nakaka-touch. naiiyak ako. :(

siguro yung pinakanag-mark saakin ng araw na ‘to ay yung conversation namin (PUPian) with Sir Al, although lagi naman niyang kinakausap kami ng light parang nagkwekwentuhan lang. :0 unang-una kasi napagalitan niya ako (although hindi niya ni-mention name ko,  pero alam na alam namin. t_t) kasi twice na kong late. sorry Sir Al. :( by the way, we had a long conversation then about different matters; the residents, the activities, our experiences, his soon visit to our alma mater, etc. yet the one that i listened to most is his advice of reconnecting with our loved ones - a very essential thing to do talaga. in order to maintain the connection, napaka-importante ng communication, sabi niya nga, kaya dapat meron kami lagi noon sa mga taong mahahalaga sa amin.

another important lesson is taking care of our body, because according to Sir Al, our body will always be the instrument to do our task, to achieve our goal. ^_^

Bahay, Baboy, Bagyo.. Babababa.. Bagyo!

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa,Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviours. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.
For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com

Day 4: December 22, 2009, Tuesday

The fourth day was way much better, I believe. Like on the third day, we had activity for the morning and the afternoon. But we were supposed to have a movie watching in the afternoon kaso walang movie. Tsk. I noticed na mas nagiging welcome na kaming mga bagong practicumers sa mga residents. It made me feel so much lighter, less unease, and happier. :) except for one thing. Na-late na naman ako at worse pa dun, si Sir Al na lang pa ang naabutan ko sa may garden. T_T nahihiya ako sa iba lalo kasi nagmi-meeting na sila. Sorry guys.

Nevertheless, naging maganda  pa din naman ang flow ng araw para sa mga residents ng LCRC, kaya ganun din para sa amin. During morning, we had the Chitty-chitty Bang-Bang for the ice breaker. The residents were so lively and alert during the game. The main activity for the morning is the Charade Relay, na nagpapakita ng importansya ng non-verbal communications among people. I think this activity is very appropriate for them since may mga ilan sa kanila na nawawalan na ng clarity sa pagsasalita, or nahihirapan i-express through words verbally yung mga emotions nila or iba pang gusto nila sabihin. The game was so fun everyone cannot help laughing. Because there were some point na yung distortion ng message ay kakaiba na talaga kaya yung final interpretation ay napakalayo na. Tulad ng Ispiritista from Fisherman. Matutuwa and at the same time matatawa ka talaga on how i-act ng ibang residents yung pino-portray nilang profession. Basically it shows how important non-verbal communication can be as much as verbal communication. It also emphasizes the individual difference ng mga bawat isa sa atin when it comes to our perception, iniisip or iniinterpret sa bawat action ng bawat isa.

Sa afternoon activity na Itlog ng Salawikain, halos parehas din ng realization sa Charade Relay tungkol sa individual difference ng bawat isa, this time, it may come to the skills and competencies. Natuwa naman ako sa mga comments and sagot nila tungkol sa activity na bahay baboy bagyo.

Meet the Residents!

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviours. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.
For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com.

Day 3: December 21, 2009, Monday

It is the first Monday in LCRC. My first Monday which marked badly. :( I admit, am a late person. Hindi kasi ako marunong magtantya ng oras, especially nang malipat kami sa Taytay, kaya madalas or lagi akong late sa mga meetings. But Sir Al does not take excuses, sadly. :(( nakasabay ko pa sýa sa gate kahapon, natuwa pa man din ako na may kasabay ako kasi nahihiya akong mag-door bell, tinakbo ko pa man din. Ayun pala, si Sir Al yun. Hahaha! Nakakahiya.

Anyway, officially, ‘tong araw na ‘to ang start talaga namin. We were surprised na may kasama pa pala kaming ibang students pa, kala kasi naming kami lang magpa-practicum ng yuletide season. Dito na-meet naming sina Lala and Gayle from UST; Elaine, Rene, and Jean from New Era University. This was the first day na nagkaroon talaga kami ng interaction with the residents kasi na-assign na kaming mag-facilitate ng activities with no particular theme. Sir Al divided us into two groups nang mapansin nya na magkakasama mga PUPians tapos yung mga NEU and UST. Hehehe! Napunta ko sa group 1 with Haha, Mary, Laura, Jean, Gayle and Lala. While sa group 2 sila Nadz, Dana, Bude, Rio, Rene, and Elaine. Our group was assigned for the morning activity that day and for the rest of the week until next week. Natuwa naman ako na hindi ganoon nagging kahirap na i-approach sila Lala sa mga groupwork na gan’to, everything was light between us all. :)

During the morning activity, we started by a name game na tinawag naming pik-pak-boom! A getting-to-know game para makabisado naming yung name ng mga residents. The residents seemed to enjoy the game although confusing para sa iba sa kanila na ilang beses ata nabanggit ang pangalan ko. Hehe! I somehow manage to be familiar with some of them, kahit by names na lang, may iba kasi sa kanilang magkamuha kaya nalilito kami. Hehe!

After this, we had Captain and the Ship facilitated by Lala. The game was fun. I remember the captain of group 2 being so competitive kaya halos nagmamadali. Nakakatakot nab aka maaksidente siya bigla kaya pinapaalalahanan na lang ni Sir Al lagi na safety first dapat. I noticed that this particular resident get the most excited among them during activity, very competitive indeed.
Nakapansin din pala ako ng mga bagong residents, mga dalawa sila. The girl is a little aloof pa while the man is very masayahin. I was thinking nab aka mahirap ma-approach yung girl. Hmm..

After ng mga activities, as usual kinakausap kami ni Sir Al, discussing about sa facilitation, mga insights, observations naming sa mga residents, mga payo niya, recommendations for each of us. I remember nung sinabihan nya kami na hindi naming dapat pinapalakpakan yung bawat sinasabi ng mga residents during processing, although it may serves as a good reinforcement, may hindi din ‘to magandang naipapakita pala, like yung parang pinagkakatuwaan na lang ng iba pag nagsasalita yung iba. Reinforcement must come in proper timing. And Sir Al advised us to be malalim bas a approach sa processing kasi kadalasan nasa cognitive level lang yung mga sinasagot nila sa processing. Pero it is great to know, para sa akin, na capable sila mag-process ng mga simpleng gawain, laro or activity, which implies on their improvement talaga.

Kudos residents!

Ikaw ang Star ng Pasko!

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviours. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.

For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com.

 Day 2: December 18, 2009, Friday:

After a long day of decorating, at last it is the Christmas party!! Yey!
We arrived at around four in the afternoon and really sorry as we were not able to help Mharon and Marian with the decorations. We, the PUPians were all in purple, supposedly shining purple; while the UST’s are in white with silver and the MCU’s are in violet (no difference from us actually. Haha!). We were able to watch the dress rehearsal of the residents for their presentations and we can’t help ourselves singing along with them. ^_^

After all the rehearsals, the families of the residents were invited inside the hall to watch the program; even Doc Bolet came at the second part to witness the event with her husband and cute puppy. There came also some residents before who probably had finished their programs in LCRC. I did not see whether all of the residents had their family invited, since am still not familiar with most of the residents.

Anyway, the program started with a presentation of the Nativity scene from the residents. Followed by a dance presentation of the UST students, then another from the residents, and then us! With all the crepe paper-skirt and santa hat, a very nakakahiya moment. Hahaha! We (PUPians) are worrying about our dinner then because it was past 7 or 8 then and we don’t have our packed dinner. The party was cut in two by the dinner, a grand dinner. So we really were surprised when Sir Al invited us students to eat. Wow! The food was mouth-watering, if I could, am would eat each of it! Including the balut! But when Rio and I came back for it, the entire balut were gone.  I was so full after that! We surely were energized again and so ready for the party. ^_^ This was followed by another presentation from the residents and then from dance from Marian and Mharon then followed by another from the residents. I am sorry I cannot remember the exact performances. The party was ended by singing the theme song Star ng Pasko, which is a favourite of us!

After the Christmas party for the residents, the entire staffs with the practicumers were gathered in the receiving area to have our own Christmas party. We started with the exchange gift of which I got a 150 bill. The party continued until 12 midnight. The longest Christmas party I ever attended. We were the practicumers left in the party with Mharon. We really enjoyed singing from the bottom of our heart our theme song.

All of us are worrying how we are supposed to get home because it is super late, until Haha had offered their house for a sleep over. Thanks a lot Haha! For a super cold sleepover! ^_^ But before we left the LCRC, Sir Al talked about our schedule for the next week for the official start of our practicum. Yehey! I was touch that he allowed us to be absent the following day upon knowing that we had to stay at Haha’s house for the night.

On the whole, the party was really fun and a success indeed. Congratulations to Mharon and the other organizers! I am sure that the residents enjoyed the party as well, especially with their own families. 
I remember Pastor Paul quoting from Bible that in celebrating Christmas, it is necessary for us to become less important while He, Jesus becomes more important. And in sharing that evening with the residents for an advanced Christmas celebration, for giving them fun and happiness, I felt that am was able to make Jesus more important than myself, because I remembered them before myself.  it is exactly what a=our theme song says actually - Bro, Ikaw ang Star ng Pasko.

^_^

Shining, Shimmering Splendid LCRC!

Founded by Dr. Randy Dellosa, Life Change Recovery Center (LCRC) is a psychiatric facility and rehabilitation center for people suffering from schizophrenia, depression, addiction, and other unmanageable behaviours. It is located at #105 Scout Rallos Street, Brgy. Sacred Heart, Kamuning, Quezon City.
For further information about LCRC, you may contact 415-7964 or 415-6529. You may also visit www.randydellosa.com.

Day 1: December 17, 2009, Thursday

Our practicum is our most anticipated event in college life, well aside from the graduation of course. We consider this as the most exciting, thrilling and toxic episode of our academic lives. Because for some of us this will be the first time that we will be exposed, interact and communicate to patients with real psychological disorders. It is exciting because it is our first time; thrilling because we have no exact knowledge of what we might encounter; and toxic because we sure will have lots of working to do, according to the much senior students who had practicum already. Tsk.

On 17th of December, Thursday, I together with my circle of friends Nadz, Mary, Haha, Dana, Lau, Rio and Bude had at long last started our practicum at LCRC. It was the day before the grand Christmas party, each group of practicumers from different universities were assigned to different tasks for the said event, and our group were given the task for decorations of the social hall. According to Sir Al, dapat maramdaman sa room na paskong pasko na because he was disappointed early that morning regarding the ambience of the room, he wants the residents to feel that ‘hey! It’s Christmas!’.

Before we start decorating the hall, Sir Al, our supervisor had invited us to join the worship service lead by Pastor Paul. Sir Al introduced us first to the residents of LCRC which was a quite nakakakaba. We attend the service with the residents, sang with them, clap for Jesus and praise Jesus with the residents. Pastor Paul delivered a short message about the right celebration of Christmas for the service or it seemed short for me for I had to leave the room early for some admin work assigned by Ms. Agnes. I remember the part where in we walk around and told “God Bless you” to each other. It was not comfortable for me then to approach some patients and told them that God may bless them, I was sort of shy.

After the service we had our first lunch at our favorite place in the garden. It felt nice that we already found our comfort place inside the LCRC. :) Then after the lunch we proceeded, some had proceeded with our group task, of decorating the function hall, while Dana and Bude were asked to buy some Christmas lights, and I resumed my admin work, of typing the interpretations of the BPI and the CISS of the residents. I was finished by around two or three pm and then I helped, tried to help, Mary in decorating the hall. Upon entering the hall i was surprised because the atmosphere had been very different from the early morning. ^_^ There were a Christmas tree out of crepe paper in the stage with the shining and shimmering theme LIWANAG NG PASKO courtesy of Haha, Rio, and Nadz; and with the stars all over the wall. While giving Mary some masking tapes (hehe!) we watched the residents practised their performance for the Christmas party. They were so nice that Mary and I had been singing with them as well. After their practice, i taught some of the residents how to make a star. Through that I met and talked to some residents. It was fun, knowing they were so cooperative and actually nice. :)

At the end of my interaction with them, I was so glad that one of them had consistently recognized and remembered me. That made my day. :)

In spite of the exhausting decorating because we kept on putting and taking off some of them, like the Hawaiian garland in the Christmas tree, the twigs in the stage which for us Mary looked so okay, one must observe being “coherent” in some pictures. Some pictures might be pleasing to someone’s eyes because of its different colors and design yet it really is not because the combinations are not all appropriate.