I Have a Problem

11:46 AM Monday, January 31, 2011

I am down to 150 lbs again, which is great right?

Plus, I have this grand plan to start dieting and exercising this Feb so I'd look fab by June (for my primary sponsor stint at a wedding) and can join the Mommy Milkshake marathon in August.

But... but... all the weight loss is threatening my investment in clothes. Case in point, the Maki pants of my Eden Bento Box is already hanging real low around my hips. And the tops are also getting slightly loose so the collar is hanging lower on my chest.

Yikes.

I'm already wondering if I can sell them on Ebay if they don't fit anymore. Right now, that's about P7k worth of clothes that's being threatened. If my Aria Nursing tank also starts getting loose, that's another P1k.

And don't get me started on my other nursing tops... two of which are hanging big and shapeless around me. The only way I can salvage them is to maybe wear them with shorts... but I still have varicose veins everywhere!

Argh.

Losing weight though is a happy problem right? Right?

Erratic Weather, New Diseases?

9:55 AM Sunday, January 30, 2011

I am not really monitoring the news but I have heard of the flooding in Saudi Arabia. There are other countries getting flooded, I know, and our country has several areas flooded since December. Then, it's 11 degree Centigrade cold in Baguio. And negative 18 degrees in Detroit. Everywhere, the weather is either unusual or extreme.

Could this possibly lead to newer diseases? I'm just assuming that mosquitoes, for example, will get more resistant and develop an immunity that will affect their bites. Plus, there's always that rat poop in floods that can lead to deaths. These two can easily lead to bloodstream infection that weakens a body fast and is slow to respond to drugs.

And what of the allergic rhinitis, asthma and colds that behoove us all since late November? I am currently taking antibiotics for sinusitis that's giving me headaches for the past few days. I've been nasal dripping, sniffing, coughing for a month! Ewww.

I know there are many institutions fighting new diseases and infections everyday but am sure the weather ain't helping them.

Selfishly though, does this mean our summer will be mild? Because I still have nightmares over how hot it was last year. I know I was pregnant then but the heat was just really unmageable.

Almost Bye Time, Mom

9:36 AM Thursday, January 27, 2011

I really enjoyed having my Mom this time because she stayed here in Manila most of the time. She also really bonded with her grandkids, which I really, really, really wanted.

But come dawn of Saturday, she's heading back to join my sister in the US again. Sadness.

I can just imagine she'd be crying so much this time because she'd be missing 3 grandkids who she played with, took care of, shouted at, put to sleep, fed and sang to.

Sigh.

I really wish God will be so kind as to allow my Mom more years to see her grandkids grow.


Big Bad Blogger Hoopla

1:44 AM Monday, January 24, 2011

I was surprised to see texts to me asking who the Big Bad Blogger was. I had no idea why there's suddenly a Big Bad Blogger (since I know for a fact that there are tons of them haha) so despite lacking sleep, I had to go online and find out.

I can't say I'm shocked about who the blogger is and the PR company involved, nor the lengths they've gone through just to generate income... I am surprised though at how lucrative the blogging business has become and how more of the bloggers I know who are pleading for decency among bloggers are actually, well, paid hands.

Then again, that's just more hypocrisy for you. But at least, this is out now so maybe the sharks will lie low for a few months before putting pressure on businesses again. The blogger wars and issues has just gotten bigger.

Meanwhile, I sort of pity BBB because bloggers everywhere are looking for him and he might be cyber lynched if enough evidence are given to identify him. I pity him because he's not alone... there are a lot of other blogggers like him. And they are both perpetrators to and victims by the PR companies and desperate/corrupt businesses. After all, no blogger wakes up thinking he or she can just ask for P8k per positive blog post.

Games of Chance

11:57 PM Saturday, January 22, 2011

Hubs and I were talking about playing poker and what-not, and how he used to play all day in college, not really because he was addicted to gambling. He was more hooked on the social thrill of beating other guys up. He also told me what one of the people working for Resorts World says about their casinos: in principle, it really isn't different from an all night videoke, or going dancing, or going to a girlie bar or even shopping, watching movies or dining out. You spend money to be entertained.

It made me remember all those basketball betting boys and men used to do when it's basketball finals and Ginebra is competing. It made the games all the more fun and competitive for them, and then there's the chance of winning some cash. Am not sure if there's much sports betting being done now. All I see nowadays are men hooked on horse races and am not sure if that's considered a sport.

Games of chance. They are actually fun for the thrill, and maybe if you're winning. It's just really bad if a person starts pinning his hopes and dreams for that one in a million possibility of a big win.

Tayo'y Hindi Tigang

3:01 AM Monday, January 17, 2011

Cases in point:

* Our coastline is around 36,000 kilometers long... halos doble po ng coastline ng USA. Ako'y tuo namang nababagabag before when I read novels where kids actually don't see the sea for years... or all their lives. IMHO, sadyang kaawa-awa naman po talaga ang hindi man lang nakakakita ng sunset sa beach. Susmio, kahit never ako natuto lumangoy... kahit kelan hindi ko ipagpapalit ang Pacific Ocean natin. If it's good enough for whales, it should be good enough for everyone!!!! Feel ko nga, bigyan lang ng proper education and training ang Badjaos natin... we'd Olympic Gold Medal ourselves sa swimming eh.

* Gusto mo freshwater? Aba, we have 211 lakes, 18 major rivers, and 22 marshes, swamps, and reservoirs. Kaya kahit super umaakyat ako ng Banahaw via GuisGuis, o kaya naman sa Sto. Tomas sa Cordillera, o dili kaya naman sa Daraitan sa Rizal, or sa Apo pa... siguradong me lawa dyan, o kaya ilog. Kung sa Halcon ka nga aakyat, magsasawa ka sa "water source" eh. Why else would the Ifugaos construct rice terraces kung walang tubig up there, diba nga?

* Ah gusto mo galing sa alulod? Pwes, umaabot lang naman po ng around 63 cm. of rain ever ang dumadaan sa alulod ng mga bahay natin (and with the floods, you'd even wonder bakit 63 cm. lang!). At yang tubig na yan na naglilinis ng bubong ang syang isa sa mga tunay na nakapagpaligaya sakin nung bata ako... where I first practiced the art of taking a shower (as opposed to taking a bath, powtek kayo!). Ultimately nga, naging daan pa yang "playing in the rain" moments ko to realize na I was actually growing breasts na. Go figure.

* Ah gusto mo mas subtle sa ulan? We have dew and fog and humidity. Mornings in the Cordillera can't help but make you believe that if you stick out your tongue, you'd actually get water from the fog enveloping you. Sometimes, you don't even have to water your plants anymore. Talagang wet na lang ang lupa.

At dahil tayo'y hindi tigang, we have more fun!

Cases in point:

seafood - hello... siguro mga 1% lang sa total world population lang ang ayaw sa any kind of seafood. Well ako, am in love with them. Masarap ang maya-maya pag fresh and mataba tas bagong prito. At nagpapasalamat akong naiiwan ang mga batong kinakapitan ng mga liswik sa dalampasigan, para maani at ibenta sa palengke. Ilang klaseng tuna nga ba meron tayo? Sa Calapan nga, people report that they have to bury caught giant tuna (think tuna that are as long as the average Pinoy is tall) because there are not enough vessels with reefer outlets to transport these to Manila. Susmio, itaas ang kamay ng hindi pa nakakatikim ng "ketong" na kinusido... pramis, kulang pa ang langit mo! And do I need to remind anybody pa ba of shrimps and crabs and oysters and clams... Kung mahilig ka sa exotic, we have octopus and turtles even! Aba, ultimong seaweed masarap i-enselada. Kung hindi ito ang paraiso, ewan ko na talaga!

water fun - forget the pools with wave generators... we have so many white-sand beaches (Galera, Boracay, Panglao) where we can lounge in our string bikinis while enjoying a massage. Northern Mindanao offers such adventures as surfing (Siargao) and white-water rafting (Cagayan). Subic offers parasailing... Batangas and Mindoro offer great diving sites. Even Manila Bay offer Dragon Boat rowers a lot of space to exercise. Have you seen kids playing by the beach? Ang gandang tingnan diba, kahit nognog na sila?

but what really is the greater implication?

Simple lang... we are far richer than we really believe for to the extent that Water gives life, the Filipno is being allowed to live. We have water that is clean and relatively safe in abundance.

We can drink the water directly from faucets in most areas in the country, including Manila. Masbate nga lang ang alam kong amoeba-infested talaga ang water. Pero other than that... konting sala lang or wala... POTABLE na sadya ang tubig natin. May problems sa distribution services pero our water is still clean and safe. Kayang-kaya tayo talaga i-sustain. At ultimong Manila Bay na nakakatakot sa pollution nya, hindi pa talagang nakakamatay. Ask the lang the rowers who practice there every morning, who then take a quick dip after a rigorous session. Buhay pa sila!!!

Sabi, we can last up to 14 days without water before dying. In 14 days, kahit sino satin, in the next century or so, makakahanap tiyak ng water kaya guaranteed ang ating survival.

Ang tubig ng Pilipinas. Andyan lang sya, nag-aantay na kailanganin mong i-soothe ang parched throat mo... lagyan ng konting asin bago ipangmumog... ipangtayo ng bahay... pagpalutangan ng bangkang papel (or in my nephew's case, 3 rubber duckies)... pakuluan kasama ng mga bote ng anak mo... gamitin sa jacuzzi mo... gamiting patubig sa palayan mo... ibuhos sa bunbunan ng nagngangangawang bata para gawin syang Tao ng Diyos...

Kaya salamat talaga, ang Filipino ay hindi tigang.

====================

wrote this in June 2005 for our then Blogkadahan theme: "what we love most about being Filipino/the Philippines"

so much has happened since then, and I guess a lot of Filipinos are actually not appreciating all the rains that are destryong our crops. Even Ondoy took lives and a lot of our fellowmen did not have a very merry holiday season due to floods and destroyed properties. But the sadder thing is, our government has still not harnessed this great potential nor really taken care of this blessing. What have we done after Ondoy? Have we become more concerned for the resources we're enjoying?

Cousin Wants Scrubs

7:00 AM Wednesday, January 05, 2011

My cousin, who just recently found a better paying job in a bigger hospital in Detroit, has asked my Mom to buy some navy blue scrubs for him at Bangbang. Just like my uncle before, he is unhappy about the nursing uniforms he finds in the US because of the material and make.

My Mom has checked out scrub uniforms sold in Divisoria because she was also planning to buy some for her caregiving work but didn't like the bold styles there. I explained that those in Divi are mostly scrubs for helpers and nannies and not really nursing ones. So, now she really has to go to Sta. Cruz.

I know some Filipinos in the US make a business of buying and selling scrubs to their peers because those offered there really leave much to be desired. I guess this means, we don't only export health care providers but also dress health care providers abroad as well.

The Downside of Christmas

8:40 PM Monday, January 03, 2011

I'm still sick so I will rant.

One of the things I have always hated about Christmas is growing up watching relatives come flocking to our house, and my uncle's, and ask, ask, ask.

Yes, I don't have a naturally generous spirit.

But I have never liked having people sort of force my Mom to give them things, from food to clothes to money, in the spirit of Christmas. Plus, it never felt right how my Mom would already bless the parents but she'd also have to bless their kids, and then later on, their grandkids. Come on, my Mom had to wake up at 5 AM, the latest, every day of the year to earn her keep so it's really offensive that these people, who weren't in our lives the whole year, would oblige my Mom to give.

We got a reprieve, sort of, when my Mom migrated. But alas, she was here for this Christmas so there was that again. What's more, these relatives would even ask my Mom to hand something over for someone who did not come along with them, which my Mom refused to do. I guess it was a blessing that her GSIS pension wasn't released so she really had to put her foot down and only give to those who took the effort to be there.

And the asking/begging hasn't stopped. My uncle has been texting my cousin to ask my Mom to give aguinaldo to my cousin, whose wife has just given birth, for formula money. While I feel for the infant, who was born with an infection and requires a daily dose of antibiotics, my cousin was right in telling my uncle that I'd just go ballistic on them since I breastfeed so my cousin-in-law should to.

I know all about the gratitude that should come in being in the position to give, rather than ask. But it's not like my Mom hasn't helped these same people out many times already before. They just kept making the wrong choices. So, why should my Mom be obliged to provide for them when they're younger and stronger than she is?

Sigh.

I can rant and rant and rant. But it's really one of the downsides of Christmas. Even some of my nieces and nephews had the gall to demand aguinaldo from hubs, which made me decide all the more not to give them any. Some people just automatically assume it's other people's obligation to give. It is the season for giving but everyone should be giving. Some people just want to receive.

And frankly, it can get quite exhausting to help especially if they make you feel you're a bad person for not having satisfied them. Like my uncle. My Mom and my aunt has already blessed him immensely, but the way he asks, it's as if he hasn't been given any yet... and that my Mom should just really foot the bill for everything.

He should just have castrated his son if he didn't want another grandchild... right?

Sigh.

So crabby of me, I know.