'I' Before 'E' Except After 'C'

Caregiver

2008-06-06T21:35:00.001+12:00

First, a preface. I'm not going to comment on cinematography and technical aspects of this film. Not even the acting. This review will be solely for the story and the character development in the film. (The "Caregiver" bootleg I found in one of the more obscure streaming sites was dark, grainy, with poor picture quality and the audio: tunog lata.) When this film is offered on pay-per-view at the ABSCBN website I will most likely view it again with my husband.

I had initially feared that given the subject matter, the movie might be a vehicle for Sharon Cuneta to showcase the full range of her thespian skills. To my relief, there were no hysterical scenes and long dramatic crying spells in this movie. No explosive fights either. There were many quiet moments rife with emotion and meaning, however. It was quite refreshing for a Filipino film to show rather than expound and explain through dialogue, what it wanted to convey. Other directors can learn a thing or two from Chito Rono about subtlety and trusting the audience to get the message without oversimplying or making it trite.

Sharon Cuneta plays the part of Sarah, an English teacher turned caregiver in London. John Estrada is Teddy, her husband who works as a health assistant in a hospital. They have a teenager whom they left in the Philippines, and whom they long to sponsor to London as well.

This family represents many similar families in our country who have already made the first move in starting anew elsewhere. They seemed to be living a middle class existence in the Philippines- they owned their home, she was a private school teacher, their son studied in a private school: yet they chose to leave this behind in the hope of finding a better life abroad. Teddy was running their family business in the province, but this eventually failed, and he resorted to migrating in the hopes of making a better life for the family. Being the man of the house, he expected Sarah to follow him in London, and this she did despite the pleading of their son for her to stay.

(Here in NZ, Pinoy families with similar middle class backgrounds abound. Young families with stable incomes in Manila and young children uproot themselves and move here, start from scratch and take the same risk that Teddy and Sarah did. Doctors, dentists, nurses, IT people, bankers, architects, engineers, professionals in Manila, Cebu--- they're here, many of them with kids in tow, starting anew.)

Sarah initially finds it difficult and almost unbearable to fulfill her role as caregiver. The two start out as a couple earnestly being very resolute in working hard for their family's future. But frustrations set in, and it is Teddy who finds it difficult to cope. It appears he hasn't left his machismo behind, and his mindset still needs drastic readjusting. He is tortured by being underemployed, feels trapped in his job by an iron-clad contract, and is plagued by the thought that his wife is bringing home (more of) the bacon instead of him. So instead of working harder or struggling to work through his work frustrations, he descends deeper into depression, takes to drinking, even quits going to work, and eventually entreats Sarah to go back to the Philippines. In the meantime, Sarah steels herself, sees her husband and her family's need, and is able to force herself to adjust to her role as a caregiver and is even able to distinguish herself in this profession.

Amongst all this are the little daily chores, tasks, squabbles, tiffs, and choices that also make up life abroad. Like doing laundry, cleaning up the house, cooking, and leisure time. We see the couple initially coping with the housework and the chores, even the crisscrossed work schedules. Then we see the differences in spending habits, priorities. Resentments build up, little fights ensue, a chill ensues between the couple, a wall is built.

(Here in NZ, some stories sound like this too. The husband, unable to cope with the demands of living abroad, freezes up and refuses to help out, deeming some jobs and some chores as "beneath his stature". Pity the wife that has to put up with such attitude. Other true-to-life stories here are families unable to prioritize spending and living credit card to credit card. They avoid bankruptcy by paying the minimum due on their credit cards per month. They've been here for years and have been unable to save, but their apartments have consumer goods they might have done without.)

Back to the movie. Around Teddy and Sarah, other Filipinos facing roughly the same struggle in different forms. A doctor turned nurse mouths off and is dismissed from work for insubordination. In real terms, he did save a patient's life, but he undermined the attending doctor in front of the residents which is a no-no. In another household, a teenaged boy's parents are too busy to care for him, and he ends up walking the streets picking fights, or outside Sarah's apartment hoping to get invited in for a homecooked meal. This is life abroad too, for some households where both parents need to work and no help can be found. Some kids end up raising themselves, with the parents just earnestly wanting to earn money for the family's future.

I will not say anymore about the movie, except to say that the above plots aren't even the whole story yet.

Give this film some time. It's not a sobfest, it won't make you squirm in your seat from the melodrama. Watch it with someone. You'll want to discuss it after you see it.

My Other Blog

2008-05-28T16:45:00.002+12:00

This site hasn't been updated for a few months now. That's because I've kind of moved to multiply.com - it is just more integrated for me. I find it easier to add pictures, music, it's easier to categorize my entries (is it a blog, a review, more of a photo collection, etc---all with separate sections). so please click the title as it is linked to my multiply blog. for some entries, you might need to be my contact to be able to access them.

You haven't done Rotorua if you haven't tried the Spa

2007-10-26T17:11:00.000+13:00

At least, it seems like it. Rotorua is a geothermal area with hot springs, mineral and mud pools, and of course sulphurous gas rising from the earth. The most natural thing to do is to try their hot springs. After getting acquainted with the city streets and visiting their i-site, the first thing we did was try the Lake Spa retreat at Polynesian Spa. This spa has thrice been voted as one of the world's top ten medical and thermal spas by Conde Nast readers. This was the perfect thing to end the day with, as the warm to hot water pools were very soothing after 7 hours on the road.

This is the view from the lake spa. Yes, it was really this beautiful. (Image from this site)

We enjoyed the Polynesian Spa so much that we promptly went back the next afternoon as well, this time to the Family Spa which had a kiddie pool area, a slide, and two hot mineral pools for the adults. Raya loved both the swimming pool and the 36degree hot pool. My husband preferred the 40degree pool. Same hot mineral pools for a fraction of the Lake Spa price, except without the view and the ambiance.

I couldn't leave Rotorua without also trying a mud bath. The best one might have been to go to Hell's Gate Spa- located at Hell's Gate geothermal reserve. Unfortunately, we didn't have any more time to do that (and we were afraid that Raya would eat the mud, just like she drank from the sulphur pool at Polynesian). Instead, I booked a mud bath at QE Health Spa. QE Health is right in the heart of Rotorua City, behind the Government Gardens. It's perfect for those who don't want to go far for a mud bath (we could walk to there from our lodge), and their price was reasonable ($45nzd for a 30minute mud bath).

This image came from the QE website, but the room and the tub where I had my mud bath was much nicer, with lighting, soothing music, and fluffy towels. You could even lie down in a private room for a while after your mud bath, as the heat from the bath can be draining. Other treatments at the QE Health spa: the Rachel pool (hot mineral pool), mud packs, massage, steam bath, wax baths, physiotherapy, swiss ball and relaxation classes. Raya and my husband were at the lakefront playground (which was right behind QE health) while I did my mud bath.

Prelude to Rotorua

2007-10-24T22:15:00.000+13:00

Spent two nights in Rotorua.

Must stay at least three nights if it's your first time there. This was my conclusion on our second day of the trip. There's too much to investigate and do, and if you're from Wellington like we are, the drive's too long to only stay two nights. We left 6am, got to Rotorua 1pm. Over half the day over, just getting there.

Although we already made a long trip last year to Palmerston North, I was still amazed at the beauty of the NZ countryside- North Island. It's such a huge change from the countryside in our provinces in Luzon. Of course it's not a fair comparison to make, since the Philippines is a group of 7107 islands, and NZ is just two islands- thus, more land and more greens.

Check out these pictures from the road:
Notice how the trees are the same height. Cool.

Cows instead of Carabaos.

Also seen: various types of sheep, horses, and deer.

The thick wall of trees reminded me of the LOTR scenes where the Urukhai chase the hobbits.

Gorgeous Coastline.

Even saw some snowcapped mountains in the distance.

And passed thru barren land.

Seven hours later, we finally got there. Walked and drove around aimlessly for the afternoon---got acquainted with the city, checked into our backpacker lodge, cruised some interesting sites and restaurants, did the Polynesian Spa, dinner then snooze time.

We booked rather late, thus I had to be creative and find us a nice but reasonably priced place to stay. All the hotels I wanted initially were gone, only the higher priced rooms remained. Same for the motels. That's what happens when you want to make sure that the weather will be good when you get to Rotorua. I booked exactly 10 days before our trip--- metservice.co.nz does 10-day weather forecasts, and they forecasted sunny weather for our trip. That was my go signal.

Anyway, that's how we ended up with TREKS BACKPACKERS lodge. For the very reasonable sum of $74nzd/night, I was able to book a double ensuite room. (The hotel we originally wanted to stay in would have cost us $120/night) Linens, towels, full shower and toilet facilities, queen bed. Not bad at all. And the common areas were great. Very modern, sleek, and the huge kitchen made us want to cook.

Sawasdee Johnsonville.

2007-10-24T21:55:00.000+13:00

Ordered :
Srping Rolls - ordinary, nothing special
Chicken and cashew - more chinese style cooking rather than Thai; boring and not very tasty
Pad Thai - this was the worst one of all, the worst pad thai I ever had. I can't even call this pad thai. It tasted quite salty, for one. And the first thing you could taste in the sauce was the soy sauce.
I will not be coming back to this place.

My husband still keeps mocking me by saying "sawasdee" everytime we see a Thai restaurant.

Rokka-like

2007-09-23T17:48:00.000+12:00

The Original: Cyma's Rokka.

Thanks to my chef friend Blanche, I got an idea for replicating the Greek Vinaigrette that Cyma uses in their Rokka Salata. Muscovado Sugar.

Fancy lettuce: at least, that's what they call these here. One's violet, the other's green. Must be arugula in Manila. If they had romaine or cosberg lettuce in the supermarket, that's okay too.

Sundried Tomatoes - The ones I found came in a jar, marinated in some vinegar and sugar.
Candied Walnuts - I did a shortcut version: drizzled honey over walnuts then sprinkled them with muscovado, then popped them in the oven toaster at 150Degrees for 4-5 minutes. This makes them a little toasted and melts the sugar/honey over them.
Parmesan Cheese block- Shave these over all the ingredients when you assemble the salad

For the dressing:
I did a shortcut one, I just bought ETA Brand Balsamic Vinegar dressing, then added lots (teaspoons full) of Muscovado sugar to the dressing. It became darker, thicker, and imbibed the rich taste and sweetness of cane sugar. (I chose this particular brand because they didn't scrimp and used soya oil and olive oil on their dressing.) If you want to be absolutely sure of the ingredients and make the dressing from scratch, there are plenty of traditional greek salad dressing recipes to choose from. Most of them use these basic ingredients: olive oil, salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar. Spices vary according to who's making the recipe. Sample here, here and here.

To assemble the salad:
Tear up the lettuce leaves.
Add on slivers of sundried tomatoes.
Sprinkle on a tablespoon or two of candied walnuts.
Pour on dressing and give it a toss.
Top with large shaved parmesan cheese.
Enjoy.

Reunion

2007-09-23T17:39:00.000+12:00

So here we are, back in Welly. My husband is so obviously thrilled, and so is Raya. Although she also misses everyone we left behind. I know, because she sometimes looks for them.
We spent the past two days catching up on sleep and recovering from our colds. (Raya caught the cold first, and I got it from her.)

Letter

2007-09-18T05:41:00.001+12:00

Hello, Friend.
I know you're old enough and can handle yourself for the most part. I know you take pride in your ability to control the tide of your emotions; I know you believe that you are capable of controlling your feelings.
I dare say we all have gone through what you are going through, in one form or another. Only the form changes, but the feelings they evoke remain the same.
The insecurity, uncertainty, second guessing, rationalization, the mind games... we all have gone through that in some form or another. It's confusing, frustrating, draining. But it's exciting too- it makes us feel alive: like we are passing through unchartered waters. It's scary but exhilarating. Dangerous yet exciting.
Still, I worry about you. It's not that I believe that you can not do it. It's not that I believe that you can not detach yourself "just like that". It's more of- the situation right now seems different. You seem more involved than you think, and you might find it harder to dissociate from what's happening given your level of involvement.
Simply put, I just don't want you to get hurt. I wish you could get un-entangled without too much emotional damage.
If you're ever overwhelmed sometimes, or if you get tired, I am here. We are here for you.
Take care.

Going Away Dinner at Al Dente

2007-09-18T04:31:00.000+12:00

My barkada took the initiative of arranging a going away dinner for me two nights before we were due to go home to Welly.

Instigator and Organizer: I & M

The Venue: AL DENTE Ristorante Italiano, at Frontera Verde Complex (across SM Hypermart Libis)

On the menu:

Mango Prawn Salad - strips of mango on a bed of lettuce, with melon balls atop zucchini slices on the side. Light, delicious, tasty, and totally guilt-free meal.

Calamari - breaded and fried squid with a cheese-y dip : crunchy and rich

Taco Salad - a classic favorite which T loved (and hogged)

Meatball Spaghetti

Also on the menu:

Grilled Chicken Salad

Quattro Formaggio Pizza - four different cheeses on Al Dente's very own pizza dough. What's not to like?!

And for Dessert:

Dolce de Leche Cheesecake - My brother who is a "cheesecake gourmand" and has tried all sorts of cheesecakes, remembered the name of this cheesecake and told me to try it. It really is something special.

Brazo de Mercedes - THE RICHEST brazo de mercedes i have ever tried. absolutely delicious. (it also comes in a sugar free version)

Turtle Pie (above, right) - This one was just okay: I loved the two other cakes and just liked this one.

Good Food and good friends make for a genuinely relaxing and perfect night out. We didn't even need wine to spice up our conversations.

Thank You for your friendship ladies! I will surely miss each one of you so please- do email me. And let's do this again when I come back in several months' time.

Ad vs. Actual

2007-09-11T14:04:00.001+12:00

Remind me never to be swayed solely by an ad again. I recently tried Dimsum and Dumplings' Tea Bar solely because of the huge poster they had of their new dumpling, "Spring Jewel". You may view the actual ad here.

Well, here is the actual meal that they brought me.
While the dumplings in the ad looked properly steamed and still moist, the actual ones looked deep fried and dry. They tasted as bad as they looked. You could barely taste the meat (extenders? overly seasoned?) By the way, it's called "Spring Jewel" because it's pork dumplings with almond in the middle.

I also ordered their fish rice topping -

it certainly looks much better. Taste was so-so. Nothing I would come back for. Especially for P199 --- I feel my money would have bought me a better lunch than what I had that day.

Raya's First Haircut

2007-09-11T02:27:00.000+12:00

We saw Little Lambs Kids' Spa at the Fun Ranch complex in Ortigas today and decided to get Raya's hair cut there. They had all sorts of toys to keep kids occupied- assorted stuffed animals and dolls, toy soldiers for the boys, colorful wooden puzzles, flash cards, and you could even choose which DVD you wanted your kid to watch. Raya kept still for 15 minutes, then the stylist had to run after her for the next 25. Damage: P250.00 (not including tip). They offered a service where they gave you a certificate of "First Haircut"- for another P250.00. I opted not to have that, and just took home some of Raya's hair as souvenir.

Cyma Favorites

2007-09-11T00:09:00.000+12:00

I recently found out from a checkup that I have an astronomical cholesterol reading. I am therefore at high risk for heart disease and diabetes. And I'm only 34. This, despite my relatively active lifestyle. It must be the huge amounts of red meat- beef and lamb- that we consume in Wellington. I am the only person in our gang of nine that needs to take Lipitor 20 to lower my cholesterol levels. I really AM getting old!

I decided to tweak my eating habits in order to prevent developing the dreaded diseases. First off: less red meat- less burgers and steak, more fish and chicken sans skin. Less cheese and sweet treats, more veggies and fruit.

About a month ago, my brother and his girl took me to a greek/mediterranean restaurant that quickly became a favorite of mine.
Here are two of my best picks:
This is CYMA's Tonno Salata. It's seared tuna and anchovies on a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, caramelized onions, potato wedges, and some boiled eggs with a sort of honey-mustard dressing (I forgot what Cyma calls it). I am not worried about my cholesterol when I eat this, since even the base of the dressing is extra virgin olive oil.

A close second favorite: the Rocca Salata -another salad with a sweet-ish dressing. My family's favorite (they like this best, but I still like the Tonno Salata better...!)

Arugula, candied walnuts, sundried tomatoes, and freshly shaved parmesan cheese with Cyma's delicious traditional Greek Vinaigrette. (We are still figuring out what's inside their greek vinaigrette. We thought it was honey and tried to recreate the flavors, but we could not recreate the consistency and richness of the dressing.)

Both salads are nutritious, healthy, and filling. Best of all, they're not as pricey as you think. I ordered the "to share" size for takeaway, and four of us shared one salad for lunch, and the other for dinner. Prices of the "To share" portions (good for 3-4 people) was generally P340-P380.

Hello Manila, Look how Raya's Grown

2007-06-09T05:56:00.000+12:00

In a few days' time (I can count them with my fingers), Raya and I will be visiting Manila. I'm sad that my husband is unable to make the trip with us, but happy that Raya can visit with her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and relatives on both sides of the family.

We will be gone for two months. This will be a dual purpose trip: we will be seeing family and friends, and we will be missing winter in Wellington! Hurray for that last bit :)

Raya is now nearly 22 months. She's walking like a pro and running quite well. Her vocabulary has improved tremendously, and she has just started stringing words into phrases the past two weeks. She only used to be able to say "My name is Raya" for the longest time. Lately, we have caught her saying "Here I am", "There you are", "Am okay Mom", and "Where are You". She has so many cute antics and sometimes she just amazes us with what she has picked up. The most effort I put in, is reciting the alphabet and counting numbers with her. And I sing a lot of the songs she likes. Other than that, she seems to have picked up most of her learning from my husband's nightly reading to her and from watching Playhouse Disney (the only channel she is allowed to watch, because it is slow paced and repetitive- thus, less danger of her getting a short attention span).

Here are some other funny things she's picked up.
1- She suddenly came up to me, sat on my lap, squeezed my nose and said HOOOONK loudly. It was only later that I saw that Jojo (a clown) frequently does this on the cartoon Jojo's circus. Raya also takes any big-gish ball or balloon and sits on it, or uses it to bounce around. Just like Jojo does.

2- She loves the Wiggles now. She didn't used to be able to appreciate them, but as she got older, her response to their music has been amazing. She wiggles her butt like Wags the dog, she says the animal sounds on their songs, and flaps her arms like a duck to the Quack Quack Quack song. Lately, she's taken to coming up to my husband and I when one of us is just about ready to fall asleep--- then shaking us awake, saying "Jeff, Jeff, Jeff!". Then she laughs. Jeff is one of the Wiggles, and he is always either sleeping too much, or trying to sleep. The other Wiggles are often trying to wake him up. I guess Raya gets a kick out of doing the same to us.

3- She dances the statue dance all by herself. When she hears fast music, she goes into this kind of jiggy- feet stamping wildly fast and arms jiggling while repeatedly saying "dance, dance, dance"---- then suddenly yelling FREEZE. Then she would still her whole body, her arms would be frozen in midair but she's be smiling. So funny.

She continually amazes us with her little milestones. Let's talk about this picture on my blog of Raya eating messily taken 5 months ago. Now she is much less messy when eating, and if the food is "easy to eat with a spoon", she doesn't make a mess at all. We have never forbidden her to make a mess; but we were very vocal about her throwing unwanted food on the floor though. Now, she personally hands us her plate with any unwanted food inside. The bit about trying to keep the mess down: I guess she learned it from observing us eat.

She also has some regular friends now. The most regular one being a boy who is 2 months older than her- Jack. They frequently play together in the park, or we are playing at their place, or they are visiting with us. Thus far, Raya still plays nicely. I hope she keeps it up and doesn't start hitting or throwing things when she gets older. She surprises me sometimes when she walks to a crying child and pats him on the arm, or gives him a hug. I also wonder when she picked up that behavior.

Yet she is no pushover either. I frequently watch her with Jack. Being a boy he is sometimes rough and misjudges his strength. He takes a toy that Raya was playing with, or he wants to go somewhere and he grabs her hand. Of course I am on guard just in case she gets dragged or pushed, as Jack is a little bigger and taller than she is. But I watch her stand her ground, push back, she doesn't let go of the toy when he grabs it, or she pulls hard when he tries to take her cookie (and sometimes she wins, too). When Jack pulls her to go somewhere, she pulls back if she wants to go another way and half the time, Jack goes where she wants. Jack's mom is amazed too, at how Raya is tough like a boy but is still a sweet girl. I like Raya having a regular friend- I learn so much from both of them and from Jack's mom too.

I'm sure Raya will miss Jack while we are gone. She already knows Jack's house and yells Jack when we pull up their driveway in our pram. Jack is the same: he's yelling Raya even as they are still on the street across from the park. Then they run to meet each other and take each other's hand.

Here are some things that Raya likes now:
1- Blocks, especially the giant ones
2- Trampolines and Jumping - because she can't jump yet, and has been trying for months now. The closes she's come to jumping is bouncing on the blowup tramps.
3- Junglerama, Chipmunk, Lollipop Land, and other indoor playcenters - she is an active child who likes to run around and go down slides, roll around in the ball pit and such
4- Crayons, coloring, and doodling. She just scribbling, really. But she loves it anyway.

Just Too Funny

2007-02-12T17:23:00.000+13:00

My bestfriend in Canada sent me a new clipping about China organizing 'Linguistic monitors' to spot and correct "uniquely worded" translations.

Which brought me to THIS site. (Credits to that site for the picture above.)

Hi Lei!

2007-01-08T11:43:00.000+13:00

Last December's exchange of letters among our barkada was timely. I was feeling acutely homesick then, and the letters really helped. As did attending the Filipino mass here. Thankfully, there's one every first and third Sunday of the month. And guess what: there's also a mini-Tiangge outside the church after Mass, just like in Manila. I bought some Dinuguan and found out that they don't use real blood in the recipe here, just coloring to make it Dinuguan-colored.

Regarding housework, I think I've pretty much gotten used to the normal chores around the house. I will never be Bree (Vandercamp--- you know, that neat freak perfectionist housewife on Desperate Housewives who knows how to remove the most obscure stains) but I can keep a relatively clean house. Cluttered, but pretty clean.
I dare say that I'm not scared of NOT having a maid in Manila anymore. After all, the only task I refuse to do is clean the bathroom. Other than that, everything else is fair game. It helps a lot that Wellington is a clean city. Not much dust anywhere.

Now I also know what some of our politicians meant when they said that traffic decreases productivity. Yes,it's a no-brainer---but I have seen the effects of minimal traffic first hand. There's hardly any traffic here, and I'm amazed by how much time we have. There's more time to do the laundry, more time to cook, more time to play. We can be out in the city all day, then come back in time to cook dinner then still have time to watch a DVD. There's just more time for everything. We don't have to allot at least an hour to go places (unless we're going 5 suburbs away). It's pretty amazing when I compare it to life in Manila, where it takes me at least 25 minutes to get from White Plains to Megamall. The only downside to not having traffic is not getting to nap when riding in the car. Remember how I used to get my best naps in between going from Valenzuela to Libis everyday?

Christmas was quiet here. We celebrated by going to midnight mass (which was actually at 8pm, Christmas Eve) then eating a modest pork roast dinner. I managed to find some frozen suman at the Yan's- an asian store in the city, and I bought some coconut cream and a mango (Thai) to serve with the suman. The next day, Christmas, we got invited to a friend's house and we joined a lot of other Filipinos for a barbeque. Plenty of food, desserts, Pinoy faces, and karaoke too: it felt a lot like Pinas.

Likewise, New Year was a quiet affair too. No noisemakers and firecrackers, gunshots, bawang, watusi, not even luses when it turned 2007. Nevertheless, I didn't miss the fireworks at all (I stopped enjoying the smog-filled air they came with several years ago). We spent New Year's Eve at another friend's place: old friends, new faces, a gorgeous fondant cake that someone baked, garlic mushrooms, paella and a mishmash of other dishes plus the requisite karaoke equals a fun way to welcome 2007.

Of course I missed my family and you guys. Chatting with my siblings, parents, cousins, and aunts for hours via YM helped a lot. As did seeing my pamangkins on webcam. Know what else I missed? The midnight mass at our chapel Christ the King in Libis. And my old choir. The songs we used to sing. I also missed attending A's choir----he always had a solo especially for Christmas eve and Christmas day mass.

I hope you guys had a grand time at our post-Christmas get together. How is everyone? I saw the pictures that M posted and you all look great! Isn't it amazing that M's already interning at hospitals. When I left she was just starting nursing school. And you seem to be so busy, but enjoying what you're doing. Don't work too hard, though. Take a break sometimes!

Happy New Year to you all, and do Keep in touch!

Much Love,
Sassafras

Vegetables

2006-11-08T11:04:00.000+13:00

Last weekend my husband cooked roast lamb and beef caldereta. We also had roast chicken and some salmon sushi sometime between Friday and Monday. Delicious; but what's wrong with that picture? NO VEGGIES and no fruit!

There are only two vegetable dishes I know: Chopsuey and Pinakbet. I don't like chopsuey and according to Ka Uro, it's not ampalaya season in NZ yet. Furthermore, there's no okra, no stringbeans either. Perhaps in the weekend market I might find the okra or the stringbean (or both if I am lucky), but not in the nearby supermarkets. There are no wet markets here: you either wait for the weekend market to get your fresh vegetables or cook what's on the supermarket shelf. So how do I cook Pinakbet with only squash as the available ingredient? I don't. I shelved that idea.

If I want to eat vegetables, I am going to have to learn how to prepare unfamiliar (but common) veggies that are always available at the local groceries here.

Here are some that I often see:

Beetroots

here's another variety of beetroot:

If you are looking for beetroot recipes, sometimes they also call beetroots 'beets'.

Swedes

This vegetable is very common here. It looks quite tough, but I was surprised to learn that you can eat the younger variety of this raw (they're supposed to be as crisp as an apple).

Brussel Sprouts

These look like tiny cabbages. They are as big as our local tomatoes in the Philippines.

Courgettes
Better known as Zucchinis in the U.S.
Here in NZ, Cucumbers are less common, but courgettes are often available at the grocery.
They look a little like cucumbers from the outside, but they taste better (to me).
In the Philippines, this is not a common vegetable at all and only select stores carry it.

Kumara
This is NZ's version of the Sweet Potato. It comes in at least three colors: the maroon-red shade, the light brown shade, and a bright yellow shade too. I haven't tried cooking with this yet, but will this week.

Eggplants
The common eggplant here is the fat eggplant you see in the picture below. The other kind---the one that is common in the Philippines- is more expensive here.

Silver Beets

These don't look appetizing to me...but who knows. They are almost always available.

Leeks
Prior to coming to NZ, I have never cooked with Leeks before. It looks tough in the picture, but a leek is like a very large version of the spring onion. It tastes like a much milder version of the onion. You only use the lower part of the stem to the roots, and throw out the green upper portion if it is too tough.

Spinach

There isn't any Kangkong here, but Spinach is probably the most common leafy vegetable in NZ. (Along with Iceberg lettuce).

Now for some useful Veggie Synonyms.

These help if you're using American English to name vegetables. Here they're using UK English so some vegetables look the same but are named differently.

As mentioned above, Courgettes are also Zucchinis.

Capsicums are also Red or Green Peppers.

Swedes are also Rutabagas.

Kumaras are Sweet Potatoes.

Chokos are Sayotes/ Chayotes. (This stumped me, I thought it was a different vegetable that only looked a lot like our sayote!)

Oh, and here's a useful synonym for a fruit: PawPaws are Papayas too.

How I Spent Labor Day Weekend

2006-10-22T23:40:00.000+13:00

It's Labor Day weekend so it's a long weekend. The Pinoy community decided to celebrate by way of a get together at Palmerston North with fellow Kababayans. There would be a sports fest, a Beauty pageant, a food fair, and the UP Concert Chorus would be singing at the cultural show and performing that night at the Regent on Broadway. I wanted to watch the UP Concert Chorus, so we decided to go.

Palmerston North is a two-hour drive from Wellington. It is 140 Km from where we live. The countryside was beautiful. The landscape was many shades of green, and about 45 minutes north I could already see hills dotted with sheep. They looked like clumps of cotton strewn on the grassy hills. Further on, I then saw several cows grazing. It was just refreshingly different from the countryside in Luzon. No ricefields, chickens, pigs, nor carabaos. No nipa huts and no roadside stalls either. The highway was different too: no tricycles!

We took a few wrong turns at the city proper of Palmerston North, but we managed to get to the Square 10 minutes before the UP Concert Chorus went up onstage. Whew! I thought I'd miss our primary reason for going there. They sang several Tagalog songs, but what nearly got me teary eyed was their introductory song before they sang a medley of kundiman songs- it was "Ako Ay Pilipino". They sang with such pathos and feeling that I couldn't help but be moved, and feel quite homesick as well.

The Square was alive with various booths selling shell jewelry and trinkets, native crafts and delicacies, and Filipino food. Dinuguan, Palabok, Pancit, and the ever-present Barbeque. One stall was selling junk food and biscuits from Pinas. Many kababayans came- there were so may Pinoys that it felt like I was in Burnham Park there for a minute.

At the Manawatu Sports Stadium there were more food stalls outside, and it was jampacked with people participating in Volleyball and Basketball games, as well as spectators and friends.

When we had satisfied our curiousity, we then went to visit the Victoria Esplanade, where Raya had a lot of fun practicing walking, attempting to go up the slides, trying the trampoline, going on the swing, and chasing after ducks (again!). We had a picnic lunch there as well, there were plenty of tables and benches set amongst the grass and in the playground area as well.

This is the fun part of my story: our interesting Bed and Breakfast stay. We happened to pick a Bed and Breakfast Inn with a Bates Motel-y vibe. Remember the movie Psycho? It was a clean place, and quite neat. It was just a little run down and old, had a few spiders in the bathroom, smelled damp and musty, and the teabags in the room had mold on them. (Ooooof!) The proprietress was a nice old lady who had quite a few bad teeth, and a wide (creepy) smile. We had given her our credit card number and the authority to debit a day earlier- and it was a little too late to say that we had changed our mind and didn't want a room.

So we stayed there anyway. I felt uneasy and weird about it, while I sensed that my husband was just disappointed. I told him I didn't feel like changing out of my clothes at all, and that I intended to sleep still dressed in all my gear, so that I could make a run for it in the middle of the night if need be. That got us laughing and we just started cracking jokes and making light of the situation. Now that we're back home, I realize that that place is one of the things that make our trip a memorable one. That B&B certainly had a character all its own.

That night, we had dinner at Steamboat Restaurant (298 Cuba St). Their specialty is the "Steamboat", or what we in Manila call the 'Shabu-Shabu' or 'Hot Pot' style restaurant eating. This is where you get to choose various meats, seafood, veggies, noodles, and sauces that you want. The restaurant prepares a very flavorful broth, they place a steamboat cooker in the middle of your table along with a cauldron of the broth. Then they bring out all the ingredients you wanted, and you get to cook the food right there. I loved this type of food in Manila, so I wanted to have it again---and I wasn't disappointed. Pocket Damage: $20NZD/Pax, steamboat 'buffet'.

Our drive home had two highlights.

First. We stopped at Otaki and got to buy some fresh produce: asparagus, spring onions, tomatoes, apples, strawberries, lettuce, farm fresh eggs. Otaki also has quite a few outlet stores: Norsewear, H&M, Pumpkin Patch, RipCurl, and my favorite, Bendon Lingerie. We enjoyed strolling through these as well.

Second. At the highway, the car in front of us slowed to a near crawl--- we wondered what he was up to, since it looked like a deserted stretch in front of him. Then we saw it. A duck crossing the road. Of course my husband couldn't resist saying, Why did the duck cross the Road. Ha. Ha.

34

2006-10-20T22:46:00.000+13:00

This year has certainly been a banner year for me. It's been a year of endings and beginnings, of a lot of major decisions and transitions. There has been plenty of changes, of learning to adjust, a year of movement and certainly a year filled with new learning and insight.

Celebrating 34 Milestones, New Experiences, Learnings, and Insights in the past year on the Occasion of my 34th Year of Existence

1) My sister and I finally lived in different houses beginning last year, when she and her husband bought their own home.
2) I learned how it is to be far from my husband. (we were apart for over 7 months)
3) I finally untied the strings that attached me to our family business. We- our whole family- learned to let go and accept the end of what was a good thing.
4) It was my first year of motherhood.
5) I finally know how it is to be a stay at home mom.
6) I said goodbye to my family- my parents and siblings, my aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends---to join my husband here in NZ.
7) I now know what it means to truly stand on my own, far from my parents and family. I also feel like a real adult, primarily responsible in caring for our daughter and the household.
8) Knowing very few people in NZ, it's easy to let myself go and not care about my appearance. But this isn't right, and it isn't healthy. While I take care of my husband and daughter, I must also take care of me. I can do a better job of caring for them if I take care of myself.
9) I experienced being a hands-on aunt when my sister gave birth to Manu last September.
10) Our family faced Cancer and we survived it intact. (Thank You, Lord.)
11) I made the big leap and moved our family to NZ (my husband might have gone ahead of us, but I was the driving force behind his decision to go for it and make all the necessary moves to achieve this).
12) I can live without maids and without our yaya!
13) It is difficult for me and my family. We miss each other's company terribly. Yet they still support our decision because they know this is the best course of action.
14) I now know how to cook rice.
15) Distance necessitates being verbal about how I feel. I am now more free with my "I love You's" to my parents and siblings.
16) I can cook ADOBO and learned to make sinigang na ulo ng salmon sa miso.
17) I am still thankful that I chose my husband to be my husband, and I make a conscious effort not to take him for granted and not to make taking care of the baby the excuse.
18) I am more thrifty now than I ever was in my entire life. Even so, I have a lot more to learn about being thrifty.
19) I found out that my mom can be a brave person, that she can deal with physical pain for her loved ones.
20) For my daughter, I have to get out there and deal with the rest of the world. Even if I'm perfectly okay with staying inside and vegging in front of the computer the whole day.
21) For my daughter, I find the energy to get a move on and talk to people. I find the drive to ask around for playgroups and toddler activities she can join. I even get up the courage to talk to the local priest in order to get a "preference card" for her,and increase her chances of getting into the local Catholic school.
22) For myself, I have to get back to being fit. I can't wait til Raya is "a little older", or my fitness level will just deteriorate even more.
23) I can do the laundry by myself. I don't only know how to iron clothes, I even have a certain system for ironing my husband's shirts.
24) I definitely have a higher tolerance for cold weather now.
25) I will probably always long for 'home'- NZ is nice but the Philippines has its own unique energy and beauty that I will always miss.
26) I can make Paella, Risotto, and Jambalaya.
27) My parents can live 'without' me- they do miss us, but they seem to be coping well: a good thing.
28) Our bunso is all grown up and has stepped up to the plate. He is helping my sister now that I am away and cannot be physically present for her. I am proud of him.
29) Sometimes I feel exhausted and want to QUIT being a mother to Raya, but that's normal and that's okay.
30) It will probably take a few years before I find people in NZ whom I consider to be real friends and even confidantes.
31) As much as I sometimes wish Raya was all grown up so that I could do my own thing, I also wish that time would slow down because I so love taking care of my baby girl.
32) Despite the distance, my friends are my friends, and this makes me thankful.
33) Where I am right now is not quite what I imagined it to be. This isn't good nor bad, it's just reality. I was angry before, but now I realize that I'm stepping into what's real and erasing the fantasy.
34) Getting to NZ was just the first step. There's a lot more to be done. I have to pace myself and try not to get too impatient and too hard on myself.

======
For Ikay: Got your text, thanks Girl!
For Ryan and Aunty: Thanks for remembering, and regards to the rest of the family.

=======
Updated:
Thank You for This Charchar, I am touched.

Worth Doing

2006-10-19T19:08:00.000+13:00

I wouldn't have known had my girl friend from GreenPeace not alerted me to it. Apparently, PETRON still has not acted on their submerged oil tanker at Guimaras. The ship is still under water and leaking oil. The current spill is only a fraction of the total of 2 million liters of oil which the tanker contains. (Obviously, the longer the ship stays under water, the more oil it will leak. Measures to contain the oil spill now are merely palliative, and can only delay-but not completely stop- the spread and the damage.

WHY hasn't Petron acted yet? Well actually, they said last week that their clean up is complete. But this is not what residents and officials say.

Green Peace has launched a petition, demanding that Petron remove the source of the spill, help in the cleanup, and compensate the affected communities at Guimaras. If you believe in this cause, please SIGN THE PETITION Here.

Also, if you have a blog, maybe you would like to devote some space to this cause as well. Every little bit helps.

Philippine Idol: Now Reymund is Out??!!

2006-10-16T11:32:00.000+13:00

In case, you're feeling lost, refer to my previous post on the Philippine Idol Top 10 performance night.

Two weeks ago, Drae Ybanez was booted off. His performance was also one of the best, if not the best for that evening. Reymund gave a good, solid rendition of "Be My Lady" during last Saturday's Metropop Theme Night. Last night he was also booted off.

Is Philippine Idol still credible?
Or is the viewing audience too few, that a bloc of voters----say, rabid relatives and friends--- can easily skew the results to favor those with the deepest pockets?

Here in New Zealand, I also sometimes watch NZ Idol. And mostly, the audience gets it right. It doesn't become "boot the best performer out" night every week.

I wonder where the contest goes from here. ABC5 ought to seriously consider opening some phonelines where viewers can vote tollfree. This would enable all viewers- not just those with extra cash- to vote for their favorite performers. If this pattern goes on week after week, the winner gets a meaningless title, bought by his friends and relatives. And the Philippine Idol Franchise loses whatever credibility and goodwill it had when it first premiered. And they might as well call it Piyok Idol.

Metropop Week on Philippine Idol

2006-10-15T20:06:00.000+13:00

It was Metropop Week. That was unexpected because it came so soon after OPM week. Although I like a lot of songs from Metropop, it would shake the PI contenders out of their comfort zones if Idol management would choose another category. Like Pinoy Rock. Or Ethnic Contemporary (songs from Joey Ayala, Bayang Barrios and their ilk). Or maybe the songs of George Canseco/Louie Ocampo/pick-pinoy-composer-place-name-here. Pinoy Folk Music night in lieu of Country music night? (they could sing Freddie Aguilar, Gary Granada, Florante...)

Thanks to this yahoogroup, I have been able to download and listen to the most current Philippine Idol performances. Here's a rundown on the Top 10 and how I heard their MP3s.

Mau- "Ako Ang Nagwagi"- She was technically above average. She has the vocal chops, except her rendition was nothing new, nothing special, and except for the power note at the ending: forgettable. I kinda wish she had surprised us with a different song choice, or a different arrangement. Maybe it's because we're used to hearing her sing these ''power songs'' that it's harder to be impressed.

Armarie - "Anak" - The arrangement was different, an ethnic rock vibe was added. She started out okay, controlled and subdued. I just didn't welcome the growled notes AGAIN in the last quarter of her performance. Otherwise, she was good.

Jelli- "Isang Mundo Isang Awit"- Shaky start. A samba arrangement of the song. She obviously had trouble with some higher notes, even though the song wasn't all that challenging to begin with. She performed just as poorly as she did last week.

Apple- "Sometimes You Just Know"- A powerful start, but she started having some bad runs, (flats and sharps) when she was stylizing the song. She was definitely better the past week than this week.

Ken- "Magsimula Ka"- Some parts of his performance sounded very tentative, like he was listening to himself sing and trying (hard) not to go out of tune. He also came in too early in one part of the song. Bad notes in several places and his voice faltered(broke) with the effort of holding the last note. Also, there seemed to be no JOY in his singing, when he was supposed to be singing a very hopeful, very positive song. Not good at all.

Gian- "Give Me A Chance"- OUCH. Not his best week. Most of the song was fine, when he was only channelling Ric Segreto---but those falsettos near the end were painful to hear. Really. I would say that he made a mess this week.

Reymond - "Be My Lady"- Well executed. Good dynamics- loud and soft, slow and fast, soulful expression...and he did it all in tune. Good for him.

Miguel- "Suwerte Suwerte Lang"- I give him credit for singing the song with the feeling that it ought to have and trying to jazz it up and own it. Still, he was not quite in tune (flat) in some parts. But it sure sounded like he did better than Ken. And Gian! Surprise surprise.

Pow- "Till I Met You"- I really like her voice quality. It has a clear lilt and a pure sound. Still, she also did not do as well this week She had trouble with the high notes and seemed to falter in one (crucial) part of the song. Nevertheless, I still think she is PI material because among the 10, hers is the only voice that is distinctly different and easily distinguishable.

Jan- "Umagang Kayganda"- Was it me, or did he sing this song a key lower and slightly slower? I liked the song arrangement, I like the chances he took with the song (the rearrangement of notes in the middle of the song and toward the end made it more challenging), and he sounded like he pulled it off. This is one of my most favorite songs, and I didn't hate how he sang it so I guess he did pretty well. I wish Reymund had done this arrangement though----I like Reymond's vocal quality more. Jan sounded nasal in some parts of the song.

My top 3 for Metropop Night:
Reymund
Armarie
Jan (surprise...!)

My bottom 3:
Ken
Jelli
Gian

I'm crossing my fingers that Reymund doesn't get booted out tonight!

======

Update:

Thanks to Youtube videos from starmometerdotcom, I've been able to watch the performances of Reymund and Jan. Here they are:

REYMUND

JAN

At Last

2006-10-13T00:32:00.000+13:00

After three days of looking for a new skin for my blog, I've found one that I liked. I hope you guys like it too. I just got tired of my old skin and wanted a change.

My husband also reminded me that I had subscribed to blogroll months ago, and had never used it. I finally re-visited their site, revived my membership, and have now organized and updated my links. I also added descriptions to some posts to make it easier to search.

Trial and Error is a great thing. How else would I have been able to finish updating my blogskin with my piddling knowledge of HTML?

Still, I am interested in designing a blogskin of my own. With my own choice of pictures, my selection of fonts and borders, and a layout of my choosing. Anyone know where I should start or what software I can use?

Heroes

2006-10-09T22:25:00.000+13:00

Here's a new series that I'm hooked on: HEROES from NBC. Thanks to online torrents, I've been able to watch the first two episodes even if they only premiered this month in the U.S.

This series had me from the pilot episode. A cheerleader who is seemingly invincible; a geek who can bend the space-time continuum, teleport himself to places, and stop time; a man who can fly; an artist who sees visions of the future, a cop who hears other people's thoughts: what's not to like? It's like a longer version of XMen, and I thoroughly enjoy the XMen movies.

Curious? Here's a sneak peek.

Drae is Out?!

2006-10-09T19:27:00.000+13:00

Yes, I've been following Philippine Idol even though I'm many, many miles away.

After giving one of the best performances of the night last Saturday, Drae was booted out along with Stef last night.

Now, I couldn't care less about Stef, as I've never really liked her performances anyway (yes, not one of them. I didn't like her 'Pangako sa Iyo' on OPM night, and I didn't like her 'Proud Mary' on Soul Night). And granted, Drae gave a forgettable performance on OPM Night with 'Hang On'. But he was my best performer on Soul Night when he sang TOP's 'You're Still a Young Man'.

If I could have chosen who to boot out- it would be a tossup between Miguel and Ken Dingle. No, I haven't been influenced by the judges or whoever. It is just painfully apparent that these two are out of their element. Week in and week out, I wonder when they will relieve the public of the misery of listening to them sing.

I can't forget the lasting impression that Miguel made when he chose to murder the Isley Brothers' classic, 'Highways of My Life'. Whatever made him think he could pull the song off? It didn't help that I had heard other (better) interpretations of the same song. The mess he made of the song was such that if I were him and I heard myself, I would have melted right on the spot from shame. He was a little better on OPM night: he chose a more appropriate song, 'Next In Line'. He was still out of tune in some places, ''hilaw'' pa talaga ang talent niya, ika nga.

As for Ken- I don't remember him ever finishing one whole song without going out of tune. His interpretation of 'A House is Not a Home' was a disaster. Beyond awful. On OPM night, he sang 'Di Na Natuto". I felt like I was the one who was running out of air while listening to him. Everytime he hit an off note, I cringed. On Soul night, he did 'What's Going On'. I lost count of the number of off notes and bad runs he made.

Jelli's been dissed by some people as being pretty but untalented. She doesn't have powerful vocals, true. Hearing her attempt at singing Mariah Carey's 'Always Be My Baby' made me cringe. At one point I muted the media player- just couldn't stand to hear her suffering through the song like that. But At least Jelli really does have a pleasant timbre in her voice (listen to 'Iisa Pa Lamang'- her OPM Night pick).

So Drae is out. Can we conclude therefore that contestants shouldn't pick a song that less than 1% of the audiences know? (Tower of Power- AND it was a song from the 70s).

Here's a hilarious but succinct review of what happened from another blogger:

Elvin's Blog

And here is an insider's take. ABC5's Jove Francisco was among the studio audience.

Maybe all three judges ought to sugarcoat less and be more frank about their comments. At present, only Maestro Ryan Cayabyab is telling it like it is. This isn't helping anyone and is only boring audiences to tears. Francis M seems to find it hard to criticize, he always has to begin with platitudes before getting to the meat of his criticism. If you listen closely, he often has something to say but it gets lost/ watered down because of his compulsion to sugarcoat. Mamita (Pilita Corrales) resorts to complimenting a contestant's attire, or smile or recalling his/her past performances when she can't think of anything to say. Sometimes she obviously wants to criticise someone, but again the sugarcoating before inserting the meatier bits of criticism. The result: message not quite delivered.

Spring Festival at the Botanical Garden

2006-10-01T05:04:00.000+13:00

School's out for two weeks, and the Botanical Garden is celebrating spring during the school holidays. There are activities everyday- from Push Play (outdoor sports), tree climbing for kids, guided nature walks, plant sales, sculpture showcases, cooking with kids, Ikebana classes, glow worm tours, a scavenger hunt, story times, and picnics. Yesterday, they brought in a Mobile Petting Zoo.

They had this pony.

And this lamb. It kept on licking Raya's hand- later on, I figured it must have been the banana pancake I gave Raya to eat on the way to the Gardens. The smell must have lingered on her hands, and this attracted the lamb.
They also had a baby goat- they were feeding her milk and there were too many kids who mobbed her during feeding time so I wasn't able to take a picture.
They also had a baby pig named Curly, some bunnies, a chicken, and a guinea pig. These animals were all taken out of their cages and shown to kids, and the children could take turns petting them and having their pictures taken with them.
Of course Raya also made friends with other animals not part of the mobile zoo.

There were a lot of kids who came to the gardens, so we let Raya run around for awhile.
Afterward, we strolled around the gardens. There's a small garden park near our place, and I often take Raya for a stroll there after I bring her to the playground. It's very colorful there now that it's spring and all the flowers are out. I point them out to her and say 'flowers' aloud. I guess she learned what flowers are, since she obviously was able to appreciate them today.

At the Botanical Garden, there was an amazing variety of tulips in all colors. I immediately remembered my sister, who loves tulips. This photo is for her.

After enjoying the sight of the tulips and taking a lot of pictures to send home, we went to the duck pond and let Raya stare at the ducks and birds in the area.

We were hungry and wanted to have lunch at the city. On our way to where we parked, we passed by the Flower Fairy Show at the Begonia House. Here's a souvenir picture.

Raya had a lot of fun at the garden.

The Skinny On Phone Cards

2006-09-27T17:31:00.000+12:00

Despite being online 24/7 and being connected to Yahoo and Skype all the time, I still find myself calling the Philippines via landline. This is mainly due to parents who are not well versed with using the internet and are reliant on my brother/sister to connect them to me.
I didn't want to believe my husband when he said that our phone plan was already the cheapest. (We use Telecom, 0161 international call plan.)

I did some research and came up with the following figures (There rates are for calling to landlines or mobiles from NZ to the Philippines):

It turns out that when it comes to phone cards, don't believe the advertising. READ THE FINE PRINT! Here's Why.

Often, the listed rate is the off peak rate. And this rate does not include GST.
To get the peak calling rates, you have to go to their website and really check if what is listed on the card is their peak rate or not. Also check if their listed rates include GST or not. This is hard to do when you're already at the convenience store and there are a bunch of phone cards on display at the counter. Still, resist the temptation to grab one NOW and take some time to research before hand. (I purchased a Thunder card, only to find out that their peak rate costs 32cents per minute, a mere 3 cent difference from what I already pay Telecom- plus, Thunder call quality was quite choppy!)

Peak and Off peak hours vary. So even if the listed rate may be the same, the advantage might come from more convenient off peak hours on one card compared to the other. For example, one card lists 3am to 3pm, Mondays to Fridays as Off Peak hours. Another lists 12am to 4am as its off peak hours.

Beware of connection fees. Sometimes the listed rate might look competitive, or even cheaper than the rates from another company, but they might have a connection fee- a surcharge per phone call that you make.

Beware of other hidden charges. Some phone cards charge extra if you're calling from a pay phone, or from your mobile phone. For example, MeiHua charges a 45 cent per min surcharge when you call from a payphone. Calls from cell phones incur a 65 cent per minute surcharge and a 3 minute minimum call charge applies.

Access numbers matter. Phone cards often contain numbers that you dial into to access their service- called access numbers. These numbers have no surcharges when you use their local access numbers, versus using their national access number (normally has a surcharge). Some phone cards may not have a local access number in your area, so double check.

My Conclusion:
My husband was partly right. Our phone plan is among the most competitive there is, and among the most upfront about costs. Only Easy Call comes close to the rates and being upfront about costs, and even then, their rate is only equivalent to what we already pay for off peak long distance calls to the Philippines via 0161.

Telecom 0161 Rates:
Calling to Landlines: .35 cents Peak Rate (Mondays to Fridays, 8am to 6pm)
.30 cents Off peak Rate (Monday to Friday between 6pm and 8am and weekends from 6pm Friday until 8am Monday)
Calling to Mobiles: .40 cents Peak Rate
.35 cents Off Peak Rate

Still,based on the chart I made above, I am tempted to try MeiHua. It could be useful if I need to call home during peak hours. I wonder where I can buy that card in Wellington.

Cute

2006-09-27T16:07:00.000+12:00

I took Raya to her first ''real'' playgroup this morning. We were invited by a new acquaintance to this Church sponsored regular activity. There were about ten of us adults and around 10 toddlers and two babies. Some moms brought pies, cakes, and cookies. Others brought treats and drinks for the kids. This was a good start to exposing Raya to other kids her age, and also helping her get used to being with others, playing, and doing other things rather than just watching cartoons the whole day.

Here Raya has her first morning tea with the bunch of kids. I thought it was really cute, the way they sat all the kids down on little chairs, on one long little table then served each of them teatime snacks- a bowl with crackers, slices of pears and apples, and an orange slice, and sippy cups with water too. I was happy to see Raya doing as the others did. I thought she would grab the other kids' treats and appropriate them for herself but she was very well behaved. She surprised me again when she imitated the other kids when drinking from the sippy cup. Here at home, she made such a mess. But she used the sippy cup like a real pro this morning.

Poking About

2006-09-26T12:55:00.000+12:00

It's easy to feel isolated in NZ, especially if you're a new migrant and a stay at home mom like myself. It is too easy to bury yourself in house chores, spend all day in front of the computer surfing or watching youtube, or veg in front of the tv the whole day. There are no relatives with good intentions meddling about your business, no friends who drop in unannounced just to hang out, no phone calls asking how you are, no invitations to go out shopping or malling, unlike in Manila. This is to be expected, since I hardly know anyone at all yet, and have been making little effort at getting out and meeting new people.

Seeing Raya becoming increasingly curious about her surroundings and her world has urged me to start poking about outside as well. She is just so much more aware now. When before, she used to just sit and stare when I read to her, now she points to the pictures and babbles. She turns to me and speaks in questioning tones. When she sees something she finds funny, she squeals and turns to me, checking if I saw it too. The littlest things are fascinating to her. It is amusing to watch her inspect things: tugging, pulling, biting, peering at them from all angles, then turning to gaze at us with questioning eyes.

Such curiousity and sense of wonder at everything has to be stimulated and made to grow, I thought. So I spent the entire day researching about playgroups yesterday. Anything, actually, that I could do with my toddler to help her grow and give her the chance to meet and play with other kids. After all, as a new acquaintance said some days ago, the world will not come to us. It is we who have to go out into the world. Besides, it just won't be right if Raya grew up scared of people and lacking social skills.

Two centers were a big help in my quest.
Plunket. This is an organization aimed at helping to develop healthy children. They do this through parental education, routine health checkups to monitor the child's growth, providing support programmes for working parents with kids, as well as educational activities for the young.
So anyway, I called them up yesterday and the machine said to leave my name and number and they would get back to me. This morning, bright and early, they did call me to ask how they could help. It turns out they conduct Well Child checkups- where you take your child to the Plunket nurse and she monitors your baby's height, weight, and general development, from birth to toddler years. I was told that they monitor the baby more often in the first 14 months of life, then once from 15 to 20 months. The nurse will be calling me this afternoon to arrange an appointment for Raya and I, as well as to tell us about playgroups in our area.

Community Centre. There's a community center in every town in Wellington, I think. The funny thing is that I had just not been paying any attention to it. Maybe I was intimidated, or I just didn't want to ask questions. Well anyway, I dropped by this morning to ask whether they knew of any playgroups in the area. The staff were so helpful, and I went home with brochures about activities for toddlers and kids in the area, and schedules and contact numbers of people and organizations conducting classes and playgroups for children. They also gave me a list of events that they had going on for this month: among them seminars for new small and medium business owners, a series of fitness and movement classes for adults, support groups for all types of people, and assorted courses from PreNatal, to Parenting, to First Aid.

Browsing on the internet, I found out that our local library conducts a StoryTime session twice a week. I decided to give it a try this morning: nothing to lose, it was free and Raya and I have nothing but time. Boy, was I glad that we went. I had never been with such a lot of kids and moms all at the same time- ever. It was a first for both Raya and I. The librarian was a Pinay too, she read three books with much gusto and enthusiasm, and also had the kids singing songs in between, as well as dancing to action songs. Raya seemed bewildered at the sight of so many kids simultaneously answering questions, clapping, patting, and doing animal sounds. I helped her do the actions when I could: later I saw that she was smiling as she clapped and patted along with the other kids.

After the story telling session, Raya played with some other children. It was the first time I saw her interact voluntarily with other kids. At the playground, she would cling to me, as though afraid of the other kids. Maybe the story telling session loosened her up, and seeing the other kids laughing and playing together encouraged her to interact and do the same too.

The mom who sat beside us and I got to chatting while Raya was playing. She told me about a playgroup conducted at a nearby chapel, just two establishments away from the library. Turns out there's a playgroup there tomorrow, around midmorning. She's going with her 7 month old girl, and she urged us to go as well. I say yes, then ask about fees and charges. What luck- it's free. Guess Raya has something to look forward to again, tomorrow.

Mis-Impressions and Discoveries

2006-09-24T18:25:00.000+12:00

Over the past two weeks, my husband, Raya, and I had various illnesses. Raya had some sort of intestinal bug that gave her moderate runs, my husband had an eye virus that had his left eye turning red and tearing up, and I had a bad chest cold (later suspected to be asthma by the doctor I saw). We went back and forth to the doctor's, twice for Raya's tummy bug, once for my bad cough, and once for my husband's.

I don't know where I got the (mis)impression that a lot of NZ Healthcare is free or subsidized. Maybe I over-read or glossed over the facts from some NZ websites. Yes, certain health services are free: but everyday health care has to be paid for. There are subsidies, but I dare say that a majority of migrants(with their age level and salary level requirements) will not qualify for Community Services Cards, and may not even qualify for High Use Health Cards (the physical exams we took prior to being approved for residency/work status takes care of that). The best thing, really, is to be part of an HMO just to lessen some of the cost of health care. Even then, being a member of an HMO is still no guarantee that you will not be shelling out a significant amount on health care, prescriptions included.

Some Mis-Impressions I had:
1) Myth: Infant/Pre school toddler health care is free.
Fact: In our neck of the woods, doctor consultations are definitely not free, but it is heavily subsidised by the government. I still had to pay $15.00 when Raya needed to see the doctor for a cold, or for that tummy bug. The prescriptions have, thus far, been free (the antibiotic they gave her didn't have any charge). And because we have private health insurance, I can claim 80% of the consultation fee or a maximum of $36, whichever is lower. (Southern Cross, Regular Care).

2) Myth: Cervical Smear testing is free for Women over 20 and Under 70.
Fact: It's not. You would have to pay about the same as the cost of a regular consult with your doctor, plus $24.00 more if you choose the ThinPrep Pap Test (supposedly more sensitive to detecting certain types of abnormal cells). The cost of going to see a General Practitioner (GP) where we are is $61.00. Since this test is ''not medically necessary'' (our HMO considers it ''maintenance'' care), our health insurance does not cover it and we need to shell out for the entire amount ourselves. Still, you only need this test once every three years, so the expense is worth it especially since early detection is key to surviving cancers. More information here .

3) Myth: All GP (General Practitioner) costs are subsidised in some form or another.
Fact: Only for people of a certain age bracket, or for low income individuals/families. Depending on how young or how old you are, the cost of your seeing a GP might be subsidised. (The term they use here is ''funded''.) If you are over 24 years old and below age 44, forget about subsidised health care. Expect to pay full price when visiting your friendly neighborhood GP. You may also qualify for a subsidy if you belong to a low income family bracket- the subsidy comes in the form of the Community Services Card. (For Pinoy skilled workers- I doubt that many will qualify for this subsidy. For one thing, doesn't NZIS require that your salary be over a certain sum before they let you stay? If I am not mistaken, low income means a gross yearly combined income of below $34000 for a couple. Income Charts here.)

4) Myth: All prescription drugs are subsidised by the government.
Fact: If you have a Community Services card, or a Pharmaceutical subsidy card, then your prescription meds will be subsidised/ or may even be free.
Also, there is such a thing as a Schedule- or a list of medicines that the government has agreed to fund. Certain prescription drugs are 100% funded, while others are only partially funded. The Pharmac is the government agency in charge of pharmaceuticals: they buy medicines, determine subsidies, and list drugs that the government will subsidise. Visit their website for a complete list of subsidised medicines, including the exact amounts of subsidies. They even have a calculator for determining just how much you might expect to pay for a certain item.
You have to pay full price for prescription meds not part of the schedule. If you have private insurance, they may reimburse you for prescription medicines that you paid for, up to a certain limited amount per year. For example, our HMO allows us to claim up to $240.00 in prescription drug payments per year.

Realization 1: The GP, being the first line of defense, seems to have a lot of ''power''. He's the one who determines whether your complaint is serious enough to warrant a referral to a specialist. (If he refers you to a specialist in the public practice, this is likely to be free. If the referral is to a specialist in a private practice, you will pay for this service. So: ask for a public referral. Here is some mandatory reading for people wanting to know about the basics of the NZ health system.) However, sometimes seeing the GP can be ''redundant''- for example, you know it's your eye that is in pain, so why not go straight to the optometrist? If your eye gets worse, do you get to go back to the GP, pay a follow up consultation fee, then pay yet again to see an optometrist? (Optemetrist visits not subsidised either, and not claimable from HMO.) I wonder: if you went straight to the optometrist, would he accept you as a patient or would he insist that you see a GP first, because this was the norm? (Maybe I don't know enough yet about the NZ health system so I have to ask. People who do are welcome to enlighten me, though. Please leave your answer in the comments portion. Thank You!)

Realization 2: We still have to prepare and save up for health care. There is still no relying on government support for this, especially if we do not belong to the income or age brackets that qualify for subsidy.

At the clinic last week, I ran into Antonia again. Antonia is the Kiwi I met on the playgrounds nearly two months ago. Her husband works as a security guard and they have a 2-year old. She's the lady whose daughter seems to be in and out of the doctor's clinic a lot. She's also the one who complained to me about how toddler health care is supposed to be free, but how they she still has to pay $15 each time she brings her daughter to the doctor's. Anyway, I asked Antonia if she planned to work when her daughter was of school age already. She said she wanted to, but would have to think it over. She says that with her husband's current salary level, their family qualified for government assistance. I didn't want to pry so I didn't ask any questions, but she did mention getting a certain sum per month apart from being eligible for a community services card. She says that she would probably be getting about the same sum (as she was getting from the government) if she worked, and she would miss seeing her child grow.
Another thing worth thinking about here in Kiwiland.

Walking for Chocolate

2006-09-01T22:22:00.000+12:00

She took her longest series of steps tonight! And all because she was reaching for my M&M chocolates.

First Year

2006-09-01T11:22:00.000+12:00

Had we been in Manila, Raya would most probably have had a birthday party with both sides of our family present to celebrate with her. As it was, we celebrated Raya's first birthday by taking her to places she would enjoy.

We planned on going to the Wellington Zoo and celebrating her birthday there. We were already in Newtown: we chose to have lunch at a nearby fish and chips seafood place. The weather turned cloudy and a little rainy as we were eating. Then it got windy. We decided it would be better to take Raya to the city instead. And so we took her first to the library, where she spent her time playing with another child amidst plenty of boardbooks and huge comfy pillows plopped on the floor. After that, she chased some pigeons, then saw some ducks at Queens wharf. She also played in the outdoor playground by the wharf. We then took her to Capital E, where there's an indoor play center. All in all, she had a good time and went home exhausted.

She crawls really fast now, and she can stand for several minutes. She will take the odd step, and sometimes if she's feeling brave she will take 3 steps without crouching down to crawl again. We are not impatient for her to learn to walk on her own. She's already a handful now, we can only imagine how much more exhausting it will be to run after her when she's mastered toddling on two feet.

Nevertheless, I sometimes wish she would stay our baby forever: never mind the havoc and the mess that she creates at home. Whenever I start thinking that she is too needy, wanting me to be by her side all the time, I also remember that these days can't last. Too soon, she will be walking on her own, meeting her own friends, and wanting her own space. So now I cherish my time with her while she still needs me. I savor the kisses she showers on her daddy and myself when she first wakes up in the morning. I cherish the huge smile and lipsmacking she gives when I make her a breakfast that she especially likes. I try to remember all the smiles and giggles she gives when we play together on the playground: the first time she went on the slide, her laughter when I first put her on the swing, and her delighted smile everytime she would realize that I had brought her to the park yet again to play with other kids her age.

Who's knocking on my turtle shell

2006-07-19T15:03:00.000+12:00

In the meantime, life still happens to me even if I don't look for it. In the mall and in the park I have met a few women--- housewives too, who have offered their help and some tips. The first is Kunjal - an Indian girl who told me about a course that I can take even with Raya. It will give me a certification in early childhood education....which means I can open an in-home daycare and eventually take in a few kids to take care of for a few hours for extra income. It's a 19 week course done mostly at home, and it only requires me to go to a once a week 3hour class (and I get to take Raya with me!). That's one option I'm considering if I wanted something else to do and extra income opportunities. (Website: www.porse.co.nz)

The other lady I met is Cora. A Pinay married to a Kiwi, 2 kids. She chatted me up at the sushi corner in the local mall. Nagyaya na next time daw sabay naming ipasyal ang mga bata. binigay niya number niya sa akin, nagimbita rin sa house nila.

The third lady I met is Antonia, a Kiwi with a 2 year old. Aliw kausap kasi pranka. She was the first one to comment that she found life in Wellington boring, but that it was a good place to raise kids. Kinuwento niya rin na ''alternative'' lifestyle silang mag asawa before they had their baby girl. Backpacking daw sila at tumira sa India for a time. They also lived in the South island for some years until they moved here when she got pregnant. Coincidentally, she lives on the street behind us. She also invited me to her house and gave me her address. She also gave me tips about activities that I can do with Raya for free--- she mentioned Plunkett (have to research since I have no idea what that is), and Capital E (?)(di ko din alam ano yon). I can
probably ask her the next time I see her. Sabi says I can pop in and
knock on her door if I have questions. She sounded serious about it too. Hahaha.

I'm on vacation and I can't go home

2006-07-19T14:03:00.000+12:00

My husband asked if I wanted to go on vacation today. I told him there was no need, since I still felt like I was on vacation. Like I was stuck on vacation and couldn't go home. He was surprised- I guess that having been in Wellington for nearly ten months, this has felt like home to him. Well, not to me--- not yet, at least. It's true. I do still feel like I am on vacation--- a vacation that won't end (and one that has started to become boring---because how exciting can a vacation be if you're perpetually in the same area.)

Well anyway, here's some news about my life here. Hi Charchar and Jovs!

Still settling in and trying to stick to a routine here with Raya. I've read that it's
good for babies to have a routine so I'm really trying to stick to one with her, so she won't be disoriented.

I've discovered the nearby two playgrounds in our area. The other one is away from the hub, it's smaller, has less people, but also farther and has less swings/slides/seesaws. The other one is near the hub, at the community center. It's beside a kindergarten so there are almost always kids and plenty of play equipment: including infant and toddles swings and whatnot. The first time I brought Raya she was squealing and laughing with delight that I couldn't help but laugh with her. We try to go to the park whenever it's sunny.

My typical day here is wake up, cook breakfast for myself and raya, bathe her (every other day only, since it's cold and I do not want her catching a cold), then I leaver her in her playpen to do stuff (either vacuum, straighten beds or whatever. These are quick tasks, and after that I can veg out or read or whatever). Raya gets restless after 30 minutes of playing and she wants to get out of her playpen. This is when it gets tiring, since I have to watch her crawl around, make sure she doesnt gnaw on wires/ stick her fingers in the plugs, pull wires and crawl toward the gas heater. I cannot really leave her or take my eyes off her till around lunch---naptime for her (I'm on the computer seemingly but half my concentration is on her because she is all over the place and she doesnt know any better.)

Lunch is normally what we cooked the days before---I just reheat it. If I'm feeling energetic,
I cook for dinner. If not I wait for my husband to come home and make him cook. He is better at it anyway (for now) Hahahaaha.
After lunch, if I'm not cooking, we go for a walk if it's sunny or not raining outside. Since it is winter, half the time it is cloudy all day---or not very sunny/bright. Still, if I wait for the sun to come out before walking, aba eh gabi na hindi pa kami nakakalabas. Some days, there just isn't any sun. So I still walk---wear my rubber shoes, put warm clothes on Raya, bring waterproof jacket just in case the cloudy day brings rain in the late afternoon to evening. Sometimes it's like that here...good thing rain here just comes in bursts and isn't really that strong. So far there hasn't been any torrential rains here. The strongest kind of rain I experienced here so far is like a light shower.

The tricky thing here is the wind. One I almost got knocked over by a sudden blast of wind. I didn't get to brace myself and was unprepared so I actually keeled to the side. I was holding Raya's stroller that time, Raya's stroller got blown to the side as well. Had I not held on to the handlebars, the stroller would have toppled to the side.

We normally walk to the community center, the playground, to the hub--- make the rounds at the groceries and at the nearby mall. The 'mall' here is very small, just one floor about the size of two SM City annexes. It's a pretty boring place. Peaceful, calm, yes---but boring too. To ease the boredom I have no choice BUT to walk and go out anyway, just to have something to do.

Another reason why it's boring for me is because I can't drive yet so I really can't go anywhere far from home. I tried driving last sunday. (Unlike the Philippines, we drive on the right here.) Muntik kami mabangga palabas ng driveway. An oncoming car already saw me backing out the driveway but didn't even slow down! If I hadn't stepped on the gas and reversed faster than I had intended to, we would have been hit by that car.

Hubby was shouting---gas gsssas! Ahahaahahah. Then he said afterward that the driver of the other car was in the wrong, and that he ought to have slowed down. I thought to myself, wrong or not, we would still have the hassle of having the car fixed had he bumped into us. Not to mention, Raya was in the backseat of the car, strapped to her infant seat.

The alternative to driving is to ride the bus to the city. Right across our house is a bus stop. There is a bus to the city every 20 minutes or so. Thing is, I have to bring Raya and her stroller with me on the bus so it's a little challenging for me. Do-able, but I haven't been that bored as to try it on my own. The last time I took the bus with Raya, my little sister was still here and she carried the stroller while I took the baby bag and Raya. I suppose I could also take the bus to other places...the hassle would be the same though. If I didn't have Raya, I wouldn't mind getting lost and having to find my way home via some detours. But having Raya plus her stroller---it's a little more complicated.

I do not feel like socializing yet so havent really gotten in touch with the local Pinoy communties, and not even the local church community. I just feel that I still have a lot of adjusting to do and adding on social obligations to the stress I am in is not something I'm ready to do.

I am stressed---but it's a different kind of stress than the one I had from work in Manila. Here, the stress comes from the change in environment, weather, the change in routine, the stress of
finding my place in a new country- plus the stress of trying to be a good mom to Raya.

I'm also still getting used to the housework. My husband is a huge help. He does the majority of chores in the house. Laundry, throwing out the garbage, cooking. In time I will probably do the laundry too but I will happily let him continue throwing out the trash and cleaning the bathroom.

Botanical Gardens

2006-07-06T10:15:00.000+12:00

First week palang namin ay pinag-iinitan na naming mapuntahan ang Wellington Botanical Gardens

Masama nga lang ang timing namin---makailang beses naming plinano na pumunta pero tuwing papunta na kami doon ay uulan, o di kaya ay magiging masyadong malamig at mahangin kaya hindi na kami tumutuloy. Nadadaanan lang tuloy namin at nakikita mula sa labas---mukhang maganda at patag, at maganda ring pagdalhan sa bata.

Sa wakas, nakapunta rin kami nitong Lunes lamang. Deceiving pala ang itsura ng Botanical Gardens! Patag lang iyong harap, pero ang 90% nito ay pataas, pababa, at paikot. Talagang palalakarin ka at hindi mo maiiwasang mapagod: kung gusto mong makita kahit kalahati lang nito. Ang fountain, cafe, at greenhouse na nasa 2 picture dito ay isang bahagi lang ng garden. Magsuot ng kumportableng sapatos para makalakad ng mabuti. Magdala din ng tubig at nakakauhaw ang trek. Curved at winding and ibang daan, bukod sa pagiging pataas nito. Kung magdadala kayo ng stroller ng bata, mas maganda kung iyong malalaki ang gulong. Ang ibang daanan ay gawa sa gravel kaya mahirap magtulak ng stroller na may maliliit na gulong.

Maganda ang Botanical Gardens: may duck pond, may malaking playground sa gitna, may herb garden, bukod pa sa greenhouse na nagtataglay ng mga orchids at iba ibang magaganda at malalaking bulaklak. Siyempre pa, tuwang tuwa na naman si Raya sa mga pigeon na naglipana malapit sa fountain, at sa mga duck sa duck pond. Natuwa rin siyang makakita ng maraming bata dahil nataong marami kaming kasabay na mommies na dala rin ang kanilang mga tsikiting.

Wellington Zoo

2006-07-05T22:20:00.000+12:00

One of the very first places we went to see in Welly is the Wellington Zoo. My sister and I enjoy animals, and Raya responds to the sight of them---so the choice of where to go first was easy.

Raya cooed, babbled, and pointed at
the bears. My sister loved seeing the giraffes. All the animals were clean and healthy. We arrived just as they were getting ready to take the cheetahs for a walk around the zoo. It was exciting and a bit scary to see the cheetahs out of their cages and controlled only by the leashes held by their keepers.

The Wellington Zoo is a perfect choice for the first attraction to visit. Not too big that you would be tired before you finished touring the facility, but not too small as to make you feel like you hardly saw anything. The terrain wasn't bad either: nothing too steep or too hard to navigate. Perfect for tourists and people who aren't that fit. Manageable for elderly folks too. I might actually take my parents here when they come for a visit.

Plane Ride and Arrival

2006-07-01T18:57:00.000+12:00

Dear Friends and Loved Ones,

I'm so glad that my sister accompanied Raya and I to NZ. It would have been too much for me to handle: struggling to take care of Raya while also taking charge of our belongings. I had to handcarry not just Raya's baby bag, but also a cooler for her milk, then there were my effects: including my breastfeeding stuff. Not to mention my laptop, harddrive, camera, cellphone, palmtop, jewelry, and cash. Yikes. As it was, we still had a challenging time even with two of us travelling, plus Raya. Good thing she was a pretty good baby 95% of the trip. She only had one hysterical crying episode on the plane--- during our trip from Manila to Sydney. I guess she was tired and unfamiliar with the interiors of the plane, so she cried when we first boarded. The crying lasted for at least 10 minutes! She was calm 30 minutes after, and was asleep an hour later. The flight was thankfully not full, and there was a free seat beside my sister. We were able to let Raya sleep in between us. She was so small that she was able to stretch out from side to side and only needed to rest a few inches of her legs and feet on my sister's lap.

She slept for a good 7 hours or so, until the plane stopped at Brisbane. Every time the plane took off or landed, I held my breath waiting for Raya to cry and have another hysterical episode. It never happened. Somehow, she always took the bottle and nursed during takeoff and landing---or she was asleep. Again, this was a blessing.

We arrived in Wellington last June 20, midafternoon. Going into immigration, we experienced a slight scare. The guy ahead of us was stopped, and called aside for further inspection. Since we also declared that we had food items, we were called aside as well. The guy was a Pinoy tourist, his bags got inspected and the officer seemed stricter with him. Asking about the ''gifts'' in his bag (he brought in some gift items like ladies' handbags and some toys---the officer kept asking him why he declared that he had no gifts but he was found with gifts in his luggage.) The clincher was when the officer found employment certificates, birth certificates, education records among his personal effects. The officer asked him why he was bringing those into NZ when he was coming in as a tourist. I really don't know what happened after, since we were ushered to another inspecting officer. I was inspecting a similarly strict interrogation given what we witnessed. Good thing I was wrong. My sister and I had to throw out 3 ensaymadas that we brought as baon for the trip. Apparently, they're very strict about dairy products (ensaymada has cheese)---then we were waved through. The guy apparently straightened it out as he emerged from the airport after another 15 minutes or so. We were figuring out how to strap Raya on the childseat so we were still in front of the airport when he came out with his sundo.

My husband and our friend Mon I. (from Pinoys2NZ) fetched us. My husband could never have fitted our three pieces of large luggage plus handcarried items into his car, so it was a good thing Mon came along and helped us out. When we got to the house, Raya had another hysterical episode--- she kept on looking around and had this terrified expression on her face. It's a combination of separation anxiety and the fact that her entire surroundings and even the people around her were mostly strangers (except for my sister and I). Of course she was afraid.

But don't worry Mommy, Daddy, Goddy, and Yaya--- Raya is much better now. She seems to have adjusted already. She is eating well, and she even seems to like the weather (she keeps on sleeping: in fact she seems to be sleeping longer and sleeping more).

Anyway, more stories next time. Take care!

Sassymoon, Raya, and Ate S

Balik 'Swela Sandali

2006-06-16T16:06:00.000+12:00

Dalawa hanggang tatlong linggo na ang nakakaraan nang makakuha ako ng tip mula sa isang kagrupo sa Pinoyz2Nz. May nagtuturo raw ng Basic Haircutting- dalawang araw na seminar lang. Tiningnan ko ang date: June 10-11. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, sayang at hindi ko na mapupuntahan iyon dahil last weekend na namin sa Maynila iyon at gugugulin ko iyon kasama ng aking pamilya. Pero dahil naurong ang biyahe namin, nagamit ko ang extra weekend para dumalo ng seminar sa Basic Haircutting. 9:30 am hanggang 4 pm.

Akala ko ay puro lecture lang ang aking mapapanood. Pagtawag ko kasi dun, sabi ng secretary ay wala raw akong dapat dalhin na kahit na anong kagamitan. Pero kahit na ganun ang inaasahan ko, nag-attend na rin ako. Kahit naman lecture may mapupulot pa ring basics sa panggugupit, kaisip-isip ko. Saka hindi masyadong mahal ang seminar fee: P1,685 para sa dalawang araw.

Kaya naman laking tuwa ko nang 2 oras lang ang lecture ng teacher. Tapos nun, nagpapasok na ng first batch ng volunteers. Gupitan session na! Kaya pala di kailangang magdala ng kahit na ano, provided na ng school ang materials. Gunting, suklay, hair dryer, hair clamps, thinning scissors, pang spray ng tubig sa buhok, pati na rin cape. May handout materials din: ultimo ballpen kumpleto, at may assistant pang taga-saway ng mga batang volunteer at tiga-walis ng sahig pagkatapos ng bawat batch ng gupitan.

Aaminin ko, naging matatakutin akong estudyante at medyo pasaway pa. Hindi ako nakinig mabuti kaya hindi ko natutunan ang barber's cut. Nagkataon rin na panay straight cut ang mga napunta sa akin na volunteers, kaya iyon ang nagamay kong gupit. Sa mga kaklase ko: iyong isa ay naka-ilang barber's cut din (ultimo pag-razor sa scalp ay pinag aralan...paano raw, puros lalaki ang mga anak niya at gusto niyang magupitan ang mga ito), ang isa naman ay layers ang pinag-aralan. Ganito pa rin ang ginawa namin noong ikalawang araw---gupitan at hands on. Nag-iikot ang guro (may ari ng parlor ang teacher, at siya mismo ang gumugupit sa mga kliyente niya...mas mabilis daw mabawi ang pinuhunan sa parlor kung ang may-ari mismo ang gagawa ng mga services) at tinitingnan kung tama ang gawa ng mga estudyante.

Laking pasalamat ko rin dahil naturuan ako ng guro ng akong mga kahinaan sa panggugupit... kailangan kasing precise ang anggulo, diretso ang mga daliri, at firm ang hawak sa buhok. Kailangan ring maging aware sa ginagawa kasi kapag biglang nag-iba ang anggulo, mag-iiba rin ang resulta. Mag-iba nga lang ng direction ang paggupit, nag-iiba na rin ang istilo ng buhok.

Sayang nga, kung humaba-haba pa ang oras ko sa Pinas, sana'y nag-enroll pa ako sa isang mas intensive course. Nakaka-relax palang maggupit, basta't tama lang ang ginagawa mo.

Kahit maiksi lang na panahon akong nag-aral, nagkaroon pa rin ako ng lakas ng loob at kumpiyansang subukan ang aking natutunan sa pamangkin kong si D. Maayos at pantay naman ang naging resulta ng paggugupit ko, kaya masaya ako.

Marami pang mga ibang short courses na itinuturo sa school na iyon. Mula cooking, jewelry appraisal, bead craft, flower arrangement, hanggang detergent making ay itinuturo. Sana ay hands on rin ang approach nila sa ibang mga courses.

Oo nga pala: ang pangalan ng training school na pinasukan ko:

NEGOSKWELA - Tapat ng Veterans Memorial Hosp, North Avenue
Kapag nagenroll at nagbayad daw ng maaga, may discount pa. At pag kumuha ng mas maraming short courses, lumalaki ang discount.

Bulaga...!

2006-06-14T16:58:00.000+12:00

Dear Friends and Relatives

BULAGAAAA!

Siguro akala ninyo umalis na kami patungong Wellington, ano?!
Dapat talaga noong Lunes, June 12, umalis na kami. Hindi kayo nagkakamali ng tanda.

Kaya lang simula Miyerkules pa noong nakaraang linggo, nagsusuka ng makailang ulit si Raya. Tapos nagdudumi rin. Aba, Biyernes na ng madaling araw, pabalik-balik pa rin sa banyo si Raya at si Yaya. Natural, nataranta ako at napatawag sa Wellington ng di oras. Napagdesisyunan ko na mabuti pa ay ipagpaliban muna namin ang biyahe ng ilang araw, hanggang maka-recover ng kaunti si baby.

Biro niyo, noong nakaraang buwan ay .1 kg lang ang weight gain niya. Nang dahil sa pagkakasakit (na umigi lang noong linggo ng gabi), bumaba ang timbang niya ng .2kg! Ibig sabihin, abunado pa ang katawan niya. Ang sanhi: nearly spoiled milk at teething, combined.

Mabuti na lang at bihasa ang nakuha naming travel agent, nabago agad ang flight details namin. Wala ring bayad ang paglilipat ng date ng flights naming tatlo (kasama ko ang kapatid ko sa biyahe, ihahatid kami at tutulungan akong mag-settle pansamantala). Iyon nga lang, ang dapat na 10 araw na ilalagi ng kapatid ko, naging 18 araw--- medyo nahirapan kasing humanap ng flight pauwi. Mabuting balita rin para sa akin, dahil magtatagal siya. Medyo inconvenient nga lang sa kanya, saka kawawa rin ang pamangkin ko na maiiwan niya pansamantala.

Siyempre pa, excited na ang aking asawa sa pagdating namin. June 19 na ang lipad namin, at kung anu-ano nang paghahanda ang kanyang ginawa. Bumili ng thermal innerwear para sa amin ng kapatid ko, at wool naman para kay Raya. Bumili rin ng electric blanket para di daw kami kakalog-kalog sa lamig. 4 degrees daw dun kagabi: di ko ma-imagine kung gaano kaginaw iyon, ang alam ko lang: basta maginaw iyon!

Nalulungkot ako dahil sa mga mahal ko sa buhay na maiiwan namin, pero excited din dahil sa bagong lugar at bagong mga oportunidad na haharapin namin dun sa Wellington.

Excited din ako dahil at least, kahit ilang araw ay makakasama kong mamasyal ang kapatid ko sa Welly. Tumitingin-tingin na nga kami sa internet kung ano ang puwedeng gawin at puntahan. Naisip din naming magpunta sa Rotorua --- pero di pa kami decided dito. (Baka kasi sobrang lamig ng panahon, at ayaw na naming lumabas ng bahay habang winter pa.)

Grabe pala ang mga katuwaan sa NZ, kakaiba talaga. Tulad na lang nung zorb.com, kung saan ipapasok ka sa isang higanteng inflated rubber ball tapos gugulong ka pababa ng isang track. Puwede ka pang mamili kung gusto mo ng diretsong track o zigzag. Meron rin silang tinatawag na Swoop: parang bungy jumping ito pero mas mababa, saka puwedeng dalawa kayo o tatlo. Nakaharness kayo bago kayo ibato. Mahilig kasi sa thrill rides ang kapatid ko, kaya siyempre iyang mga yan ang pinagtitingnan ko. Naiimagine ko na nga ang lakas ng tawa niya kapag sumakay siya sa Swoop.

O siya, babalitaan ko kayo ulit ng kuwentong flight at kuwentong bagong salta, kapag andun na kami.

Sass

Infant Immunisation in NZ

2006-05-10T11:40:00.000+12:00

SITUATION: I wanted to ask about Raya's immunisation and health plan when she gets to New Zealand. I didn't want to just start inquiring when we were already there. I wanted know what I had to do to make sure that Raya got to continue her immunisation schedule.
I found this site and wrote them an email about my concerns.

Greetings,
My 9 month old infant and I are migrating to Wellington in June as permanent residents. I understand that the government has an immunisation programme for children. Will my baby be eligible for that? She has already finished some immunisations, will there be a problem continuing her schedule there? Please advise where I can find more information about this. Thank you.

Sassymoon

Outcome: Here is their reply to me.

Hi Sassymoon,
Yes, we have an Immunisation Program in New Zealand. Here, almost all Childhood Vaccinations are carried out by Practice Nurses attached to General Practitioners Clinics.
When you settle here, you need to get your family registered with a Dr (General Practitioner) and most people with children choose to go to a Dr in their local area.
You can find out your closest one by looking in the front of the Wellington phone book under 'Registered Medical Practitioners and Medical Clinics.'
All vaccinations in New Zealand are free for children, and the Clinic you attend will be able to work out which vaccinations your child needs to comply with the New Zealand Schedule, taking into account any vaccinations she has already had. If you have records of her vaccinations, please bring them to the clinic to assist the staff to work out your child's schedule.
It is great that you are being so proactive about your child's health, and I wish you all the best as you settle in Wellington.

Best Wishes,

Vicki Richardson
Immunisation Advisory Centre
Regional Coordinator, Central.
email imaccent@ihug.co.nz
mobile 027 232 4567

My Comment:
Wow, I got an informative email, and she even has a mobile number included in her signature. Such a far cry from asking information from our local officials.

Hundred Islands

2006-05-06T12:17:00.000+12:00

collage, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

Last weekend, we went on an unplanned roadtrip. We were just going to the PISTAY DAYAT (Feast of the Sea) in Lingayen, Pangasinan. We drove for over 4 hours, checked into a small hotel across the capital called Hotel Consuelo, then visited the Pistay Dayat exhibit grounds. We finished early and found ourselves with nothing to do. It was only 10:30am- we had two choices. We could head to Dagupan and check out the Bangus Festival, or head to Alaminos to see the Hundred Islands.

We chose Alaminos. From Lingayen, it's a good 45 minutes to 1 hour drive to the Hundred Islands 'port' area. Tourism is organized now- we didn't contend with a dozen boatmen all calling our attention to hire their services for the day. Now, there's a centralized booking office where you can hire a boat for the day, borrow lifevests, and so on. Thus, touring the Islands is so much more stress free.

Banca hiring depends on how many people you are in the group. The smallest banca accomodates 6 people max. The fee is P600 for the smallest banca. If you choose to island hop, you have to pay an additional P200 for that privilege. The boat gets to stay with you for the duration of your trip- this is not a bad deal if you want to see a lot of the islands.

The Hundred Islands is not just one big island. It's actually a cluster of small islands and islets which are situated near each other, and which you can visit by boat. That's why it's a good idea to pay the extra P200 for island hopping- this, essentially, is what Hundred Islands is all about.

The view from the boat is amazing and very restful. The breeze is relaxing and cool, even at 1:30pm in the middle of summer. We felt like navigators off to explore unchartered isles. We only had to point to the island, and the experienced boatman would take us there.

Each island has a name. One island- Children's Island- was submerged in water that was only knee deep. Martha Island had a beach with sand that wasn't very fine, and the shoreline had a lot of seaweeds- so we promptly moved to another island. Clave island has a short shoreline, but the sand is powdery fine. Old Scout Island (shoreline featured in the picture above) has the same powdery fine light beige sand but has a longer shoreline. Both islands are good alternatives to Boracay, if you are just after the beach, and not the nightlife. We were told that Marcos Island was also worth a visit: it is said to be bigger than Old Scout, but with the same quality of fine sand and beach. Other islands have resorts on them where the traveller can spend the night- or two- if he wishes too: like Governor's Island. Still other islands have restaurants where the hungry tourist can stop for a bite to eat.

All in all, we were pleasantly surprised to discover good beaches relatively close to Manila. And while it may look like there are already plenty of tourists on the Hundred Islands from the port area (judging from the tourist buses already parked, and the tourists waiting to take their turn bathing at the public bath house a few yards away from the booking site), this is not so when you get out there in your banca. There are too many islands and you can literally take your pick among them. You do not need to be stuck on a crowded beach front: just hop on back into your banca and choose a deserted isle if you wish.

Here's something that needs improvement: there's a public bathhouse back in the port area. It's very basic and at the time of our visit, the showers weren't working. Patrons had to make do with the 'timba and tabo' system to rinse off the seawater. And since there were only 6 (or 7?) shower cubicles, people were lined up during peak hours. AND you even have to pay P10/person to use the facility. The Department of Tourism really ought to improve the facilities here. (Since we were checked in to a 'nearby' hotel, we didn't need to rinse up here, we just waited til we got back to shower.)

Also, bring food and drinks with you. The bigger (and more crowded) islands have restaurants and vendors on them, but the smaller ones don't. So take your snacks and drinks with you. Take your sunblock and swimsuit too. This really isn't Boracay or Palawan, where, if you forget your 'supplies', you will readily find somewhere to buy them.

Still, for a good weekend beach getaway, I highly recommend the Hundred islands. The beaches are equally fine, but the price is just so much better.

Eating Like a Pig?!

2006-04-27T12:18:00.000+12:00

I thought this was an urban legend. It couldn't possibly be true: not in Canada, of all places. But it is. Here's a link.

A 7 year old boy was punished for eating with a spoon and fork. By the principal. “If your son eats like a pig he has to go to another table because this is the way we do it and how we’re going to do it every time.”

I was so indignant, so angry after reading the article. The boy was only 7. Can anything justify an adult exerting his authority and demeaning the boy's cultural practices? It's frightening, and sad, that such a thing can still happen in a first world multicultural society as Canada.

I also could not help thinking, what if this happened to my daughter?

Naku. I don't want to think about it. Saka na ang additional comments, if any.

True Crime

2006-04-18T18:21:00.000+12:00

Here's a story worthy of being made into a movie: the Pajero Lady's.
I thought she was a mythical figure, until she was nabbed last week. Turns out she had been nabbed over a year ago as well, but escaped (ho hum what's new-- wonder how long til she escapes again).

To those unfamiliar with her: the Pajero Lady's modus operandi is to dress 'like a socialite' and visit 'rich' people's homes (in exclusive subdivisions- think Forbes and Dasma). She pretends to be friends of the owner, tells the maid/s that she is expected by the owners, and if the maid/s let her in (to wait for the owners to come home): she sneaks off to the private bedrooms and steals jewelry, and if the opportunity presents itself: she also steals a car (with the aide of an accomplice of course). The alias comes from this lady always coming to a person's home riding a Pajero--- a high priced SUV.

Here's another fascinating thing about her: she managed to fake her own death (complete with bogus husband who claimed that the charred remains was indeed her), then take on the identity of another dead person with papers to prove it. To complete the transformation, she even underwent cosmetic surgery to alter her appearance. (Parang pelikula!)

Yes- wag pamarisan, no doubt: but admit it: her story is fascinating (especially if you're not the victim...!)

****

This next one is surreal in an ugly way: because it involves twisted rich kids kidnapping their rich neighbors--- to pay off gambling debts!

I'm talking about this couple- Sherwyn Ang and Michelle Lu (the guy allegedly from Xavier School Greenhills, the girl from ICA Greenhills) who attempted to kidnap businessman William How (whose only fault was that he happened to be jogging when the two came upon him in Corinthian Gardens). They even succeeded for a while - until he escaped.

Get this: mastermind Ang lives in the same village as the kidnapped William How! AND they stashed him in a nearby abandoned house in the same village. (sa kabilang kalye?!)

While the story sounds amusing, the act is not. Kidnapping is a serious thing. People have suffered heart attacks from the stress of a kidnapping, and their families are devastated by it. I don't care if Sherwyn Ang and Michelle Lu weren't planning to kill him (although word has it that Lu wanted to, because How recognized her)--- I hope they get arrested and punished for this crime. No slap on the wrist! Kidnapping is a heinous crime. William How was just lucky that he escaped (and that his kidnappers were reckless). Nevertheless, such a thing should not be tolerated.

They arrested Sherwyn Ang--- is he already locked up in jail? If he is out on bail, is he still in the country? And where is Michelle Lu---have they found her yet?

So young, so privileged, and so sick.

the past two weeks or so

2006-04-18T16:50:00.000+12:00

So where have I been?

-Helped my sister plan baby Manu's baptism. Finally happened last Easter Sunday. Nice date for a baptism, we thought. It went great, and we didn't spend too much for it. Found a reasonably priced caterer who served 90% good food (one dish was too salty). Manu's souvenirs were large candy easter eggs. So cute!

-Spent my time mostly with my sister, my nephew Manu, Raya, and my parents. Now that the month of May is almost upon me, I am deathly aware of the passage of time...and our departure date that draws near with the conclusion of each day. My husband keeps asking me if I look forward to going to Welly. I always give him a mixed answer. I regret not being more enthusiastic, but I know I will miss my sister, brothers, parents, family, and friends here. It's not that I do not miss him or want to be with him: it is more 'I wish we didn't need to make that choice'.

But here I am again, thinking of what I will miss instead of looking forward to the new possibilities opening up for our family. The sad thoughts stop here.

-Also spent time catching up with some good friends. (And I intend to do more of this before D-Day approaches)

-Began to 'secretly' pack some of our stuff: mine and Raya's. I know my dad sulks and my mom cries in private whenever they think about us leaving soon. So it was really part of my plan to pack secretly. Raya's luggage is full now, and I don't even have her toys, sterilizer, feeding bottles and other whatnot in there. It's because of her thick, bulky clothes (it's nearly winter in Welly, and I don't want her getting sick there) and a whole lot of baby socks and undies. My stuff--- hasn't filled even a third of my luggage. I guess I am reaaaaally delaying packing my personal items. But I will get to it soon. When I get overwhelmed with sadness, I just think to myself that I can always come back here and visit. (Then I successfully suppress the nagging voice in my head that persistently shouts 'But it's too expensive to keep coming home!')

-Finished what's left of Raya's paperwork (DSWD) and attended the CFO seminar. Now, all that remains is getting those tickets to Welly and we are all set to go. Which reminds me--would you believe I haven't even followed up on asking about the price of oneway airfare tickets...!

Tentative D-Day May 20.
But could be moved up to May 23.

Raya at 6 to 7 months

2006-03-29T18:58:00.000+12:00

raya at 6 to 7 mos, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

Hi Daddy,
Raya turned seven months last March 24. How I wish she would stay a baby for a longer time, so that you could enjoy her baby days too. But she's growing so fast. I look at her early pictures and she looks so different now. Her face is more beautiful, more defined. She keeps adding to her repertoire of facial expressions (her newest one being her "yucky" expression- an intense squint with matching downturn of her mouth, as though she'd eaten something really sour). She is also making more sounds--- not just ooohs and aaahs, but mammmammms. Raya has also started eating solids---everything from lugaw, oatmeal, mashed potatoes and carrots, to mashed anything: liverspread included! She expresses preference for something by giving a wide grin and reaching for the food she likes. When she doesn't like something, she gives a frown, doesn't open her mouth, or gives a her 'yucky squint' expression. So cute!

Bon Voyage, James!

2006-03-29T15:05:00.000+12:00

Nabasa ko ito ngayon umaga. Naisip ko tuloy ang physical therapist na umasikaso sa akin sa Medical City noong nakaraang mga araw na nag-t-therapy ako ng kamay at likod ko.

Last day na ni James kahapon. Papunta na siya sa U.S..... immigrant visa ang tangan. Isa siya sa dumadaming mga physical therapists na magtatrabaho at maninirahan na sa Estados Unidos. Fast track pala ang visa application ng mga therapists- biruin ninyo, 10 buwan lang mula nang una siyang mag-apply at lalabas na ang immigrant visa niya.

Ayaw ring umalis ng Pinas ni James. Iyon nga lang, dehado ang kundisyon ng mga PT dito sa Pinas, kaya lalong naging kaaya-aya ang alok sa kanya. Sabi nga niya maganda-ganda pa ang kondisyon ng empleyo niya kumpara sa ibang mga physical therapists sa Maynila. Kaya ang karamihan sa kanila, umaani lang ng experience sa mga lokal na ospital, tapos pa-abroad na rin. Sa limang therapists na nakasalamuha ko sa aking mga physical therapy sessions, apat ang may balak umalis. Dalawa doon ang may solid destinations na. New York ang tungo ni Tine, Chicago Illinois naman si James. Tapos na ang employment contract ni James. Initially ay $25/hr ang ibabayad sa kanya. Syempre tataas ito makalipas ang ilang buwan. May pabahay rin...at ewan ko kung ano pang mga pribelehiyo (siyempre di ko na tinanong, kung ano na lang ang i-volunteer niyang impormasyon, iyan ang sinasalaysay ko dito.) Employer niya na rin ang umasikaso sa mga papeles at visa niya, sama na pamasahe.

Masuwerte ang mga Kano sa mga therapists na ito: mababait, magagalang, masisipag, at mahuhusay sa kanilang trabaho. Nakikita ko ang pagmamahal nila sa ginagawa nila at concern para sa pasyente kahit na hindi ideal ang conditions nila. World class talaga sila. Kaya naman kahit maiksi lang ang pinagsamahan namin ay nalulungkot ako at nanghihinayang na mawawalan ang Pinas ng isang James.

Gayunpaman, sana ay magtagumpay ka James. Isama na rin si Tine, PatChing, at mga iba pang mga physical therapists na nagbabalak mangibang bayan. Sana ay mapahalagahan ang inyong mga kakayahan doon. Sana rin balang araw ay maging maganda na ang kondisyon ng empleyo dito sa Pinas para hindi niyo na kailangang umalis para umasenso.

Distraction #1 : Ang Karugtong

2006-03-29T12:16:00.000+12:00

Noong ma-evict si Gretchen sa CPBB, napalitan ang naging paborito ko. Pumalit si Budoy , vocalist ng bandang Jr. Kilat, composer, at multimedia artist. Malikhain si Budoy: mapa-kanta, sayaw, o visual arts ay kayang kaya niya. Hindi mareklamo ano man ang ihaing gawain para sa araw na iyon. Mahusay makisama sa ibang housemates (kung ano ang trip ng kaharap niya ay nasasakyan niya), at hindi papansin. Hindi madrama, hindi rin iyakin...laging may sense of humor at palaging nagpapagaan ng sitwasyon. Dahil siguro sa attitude niyang "hindi madrama, hindi papansin: tuloy tuloy lang sa pagtrabaho at paglikha"--- ayun, na-evict! Siya ang kahuli-hulihang napaalis sa PBB house. Ibig bang sabihin mas gusto ng tao ang mga papansin kahit na walang ginagawa...?

Ngayon lang ako sumulat tungkol sa CPBB dahil nang matanggal si Budoy, natapos rin ang pagkaaliw ko sa palabas na ito. Hindi na kapani-paniwala, at manipulative nang masyado. Pakiramdam ko ba ay malaking lokohan na lang ang nangyayari: at ako ang taya parati. Bandang huli, naiinis na ako imbis na natutuwa. A sure sign that it's time to switch channels and watch something else.

Bakit ako nainis? Ano ang nag-contribute sa pagkadismaya?

Halos lahat ng housemate, konting kibot, voluntary exit ang nagiging instant solution. Tapos kinukunsinti ng PBB management. Iilan lang ang na-evict, mas marami pa ang um-exit nang kusa. Aba, kung nanonood ka ng competition sa gymnastics tapos isa-isang nag dropout ang mga kalahok: di ba nababawasan ang ningning ng nagwagi.

Tapos mabuti kung sinasabi ang tunay na dahilan ng pag-exit. Eh hindi, paglololokohin pa ang mga nanonood. Tapos pag hindi bumenta iyong "made up excuse" sasabihin din naman ang totoo.

Hetong isa pang dahilan, di ako apektado dahil di naman ako bumoto. Pero nakikita ko pa rin na may mali sa sistema ng pagpili ng mananatili at aalis sa PBB house. May bayad ang bawat text vote. Samakatuwid, kahit sinong celebrity contestant na may mayamang backer ay maaring manipulahin ang resulta. Kung merong gustong magpasikat sa isa sa mga lesser known housemates using PBB as a vehicle, puwedeng puwedeng magpaulan ng boto para sa partikular na housemate. This drowns out the voices of those who cannot afford to spend for their favorite bets. Nagtataka ako kung bakit hindi nalang libre ang pagboto: dedicated landline nalang kaya? Toll free number para may option kung boboto sa text o kaya sa landline?

It was fun while it lasted, pero di na mauulit ang pagtutok ko sa CPBB. O kahit anong future PBB. Pinaka-ayaw kong pakiramdam ay yung niloloko ako o dinadaya.

Distraction #1

2006-03-21T14:41:00.000+12:00

Numero unong nakakapuyat sa akin nitong nakaraang 3 linggo ang panonood ng PBB Celebrity Edition. Abala rin ako sa pagbabasa ng CPBB forums na naglipana sa internet. (Yan rin ang isa pang distraction kaya di ko naa-update itong blog...!) Pasensiya na sa mga hindi maka-relate. Hayaan niyo na ako sa kababawan ko, nakakaaliw naman at harmless fun.

Tulad ng sinulat ko sa unang CPBB entry ko, di ko pinanood ang unang PBB pero itong pangalawa talaga, tinutukan ko. Pero hindi pa naman ako bumoboto o nag-uubos ng load para lang sa paborito kong housemate(HM). Grabe na iyon- magsusunog ako ng pera para sa mga taong di ko kilala na ang tanging goal ay sumikat? Mag-eenjoy nalang akong mag-usi at makipagtalo sa mga iba pang CPBB watchers sa forums. Libre pa. Biro niyo, san ka makakakita ng isang taong nagkaka-nervous breakdown on nationwide tv. Kakaiba diba.

Noong kauumpisa pa lang ng CPBB, naging paborito ko na sina Bianca at Gretchen.
Okay pa rin sa akin si Gretchen, pero na-out na siya.

Si Bianca naman, hindi ko nagugustuhan lately ang kilos.

Si Bianca ay si Bianca Gonzales. Nakakagulat ngang sumali pa siya dito, eh ang ganda naman ng takbo ng career niya even pre-BigBrother. Dalawa ang di ko nagustuhan sa kanya: una, ibinoto niya si Gretchen para lumabas sa PBB house. Okay lang iyong ibinoto niya kasi ito daw pinaka hindi niya ka-close, kaya lang nang palabas na ito ang mensahe niya para dito ay 'love na love na love kita'. Ang plastic. Strike One. Pangalawa, parang hindi na kaaya-ayang panoorin ang dalliance nila ng co-housemate niyang si Zanjoe. Lalong lalo na at aminado naman si Bianca na may kasintahan siya sa labas. Kahit naman pakikipagkaibigan may hangganan. Sana bawasan ang affectionate gestures kahit out of respect lang sa naiwang kasintahan sa labas, na hindi niya naman ma-reassure dahil nasa PBB house siya. (Bawal sa housemates ang kahit na anong balita o komunikasyon mula sa labas sa 60 days na paglalagi sa loob ng CPBB house. Di pa nila alam kung ano ang Proclamation 1017!)

...itutuloy...

TradeMe

2006-03-17T16:38:00.001+13:00

Nakakuha na rin ng rental ang asawa ko sa wakas. Ayon sa kanya, malaki-laki naman ang lugar, at may munting bakuran pa. Buti naman, kasi mahilig sa labas ang aming baby. Abang lang ako ng abang nitong mga nakaraang araw sa trademe. Wala kasing kalaman-laman ang naupahang flat kaya ni silya ay wala pa kami. Naisip namin na dito na muna maghanap sa trademe: di bale nang secondhand, basta maayos pa. Kesa naman bumili agad kami ng bago, eh kakaunti pa ang ipon namin at marami pang gastos.

Speaking of TradeMe- ito ang equivalent ng Ebay sa NZ. Isang cyber-palengke kung saan nagtitipon tipon ang mga nais magbenta at nais bumili ng sari-saring gamit. Iba pala ang style ng bidding sa trademe: meron silang tinatawag na "auto-extended" bidding time, kung saan kapag nag-bid ka sa last two minutes ng nakatakdang oras ay automatically extended ang ending time ng bid by another two minutes. Para mabigyan ng pagkakataong may mag-counter offer, at makakuha ng pinakamataas na presyo ang mga seller. Noong unang una kong bidding experience sa trademe, takang taka ako kung bakit ang tagaaaal ng last two minutes nila: matapos ang bidding saka ko tiningnan kung bakit nagkaganoon. Kaya pala.

Sa dinami-dami ng mga binabantayan kong furniture at home items sa trademe, hindi pa ako nananalo! Mali kaya ang strategy ko? SIguro rin, konting pasensiya pa, good timing, at suwertihan din bago ako manalo.

Summer Splashing

2006-03-02T16:54:00.000+13:00

Our First Summer, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

First summer ng magpinsan. Naisipan naming dalhin silang dalawa sa malapit na clubhouse para magbabad sa pool. Si Raya, nanibago ata- hindi ngumingiti at parang iniisip niya pa kung ano kaya ang ginagawa niya duon at kung para saan ang ganoon karaming tubig. Si Manu naman, enjoy na enjoy sa tubig. Sandali lang sila nagbabad, siguro 20 minutes. Natakot kaming sipunin sila eh.

C2U

2006-02-28T16:45:00.000+13:00

Cheap thrills na kung cheap thrills. Pinanood namin ni sis ko ang "Close to You" kagabi, and we thoroughly enjoyed it! Prior to that, medyo nadedepress kasi ako tuwing iniisip kong iiwanan ko ang pamilya ko- lalo na si mommy na maysakit---soon (in May punta na kami ni baby sa Welly dahil gusto ko ring makita at makasama ng asawa ko si baby habang "baby" pa ito). Worried rin kami ni sis sa nalalapit na chemo ni mom (march 6 ulit), at sa matumal na matumal na takbo ng nalalabing negosyo.
Naisip ko tuloy, 'Close to You' would be a good distraction. A good 'pick me up', as they say.

Huwag mag-judge hangga't di pa napapanood. At huwag isiping ang taste namin ay palaging pang teenybopper at panay kababawan lang. After all, we both did not enjoy "There's Something About Mary", and that Lara Croft movie (Part 1).
Pareho kami ni sis na "good vibes" ang tingin kay Bea Alonzo, at mukhang nakakaaliw naman ang trailer niya. Good feedback from those who watched, at may narinig akong nagsabi na maayos naman daw ang kuwento. Eh kilala niyo naman ako, iyong story unang una kong tinitingnan kung pulido.

So ayun - kain muna kami sa Sbarro ng late meryenda/early dinner. Tapos akyat kami sa third floor ng Megamall. P101 kada tiket.

Ang Istorya:
Si Marian at Manuel ay magkababata at matalik na magkaibigan. Si Lance ay kababata rin nila, pero bata pa siya nang mangibang bansa ang pamilya at doon na lumaki. Ngayon, pop star na si Lance at si Marian ay tagahanga at may crush sa kanya. Umaasa rin si Marian na matatandaan pa siya ni Lance kahit na matagal na silang hindi nagkikita. Si Manuel ay isang photographer/artist at palaging kabuntot ni Marian sa lahat ng lakad nito. Itinuturing na siyang kabahagi ng pamilya ni Marian, dahil nga sa pagiging matalik na magkaibigan ng dalawa. May itinatago ring lihim na pagtingin si Manuel kay Marian, na hindi niya sinasabi dahil ayaw niyang samantalahin ang pagiging magkaibigan nilang dalawa.
Ang drama ni Manuel: puwersado siyang panoorin ang unti-unting pagkakapalagayang loob nina Lance at Marian kahit na ayaw niya, at puwersado din siyang magkunwari na okay lang sa kanya ang nangyayari at masaya siya para sa kaibigan niya. Ang drama naman ni Marian: gusto niya si Lance pero ayaw niyang magbago ang pagiging malapit nila ni Manuel sa isa't-isa.

Mga Obserbasyon:
Maganda ang pacing ng kuwento, at matino nga ang kabuuan ng istorya.
Mahusay pala si John Lloyd Cruz umarte. Hindi ko siya gusto pero magaling pala siyang umarte. Mahusay din si Bea Alonzo, at maganda pa. Gusto ko rin ang mga isinuot niya sa pelikula- nakakaenganyong mag window shopping tuloy pagkatapos manuod.
Walang ka-kwenta kwentang gumanap si Sam Milby. Unang pelikula niya ito. Sana huli na din. Nakakailang siyang panoorin.
Gusto ko ang mga patawang dialog sa pelikula, hindi pilit.
Gusto ko rin ang mga piniling salita sa mga dialogue. Natural na natural, at karaniwang naririnig.
Kaya lang, parang naubusan na ng epektibong dialog sa dulo ng pelikula, o kaya ay tinamad na ang nagsulat/ nagpalit ng writer: biglang naglabasan ang ilang napaka-cheezy lines. Kadiri Talaga. (Halimbawa: Sabi ni Bea, 'Mahal mo nga talaga ako ano?' Sagot ni JohnLloyd, "And I have my whole life to show you.'-------- ewwwwww *shudder*)
Ang papangit nung mga kanta sa pelikula. Kung sabagay, largely funded ng Closeup Toothpaste ang movie, kaya halos lahat ng kanta ay may salitang "close". (Does watching the movie make me want to buy Closeup? Nope.)
Nakakairitang pakinggan si Sam Milby magtagalog. Puwede namang mag-ensayo muna bago magdub para mas diretso ang tabas ng dila eh.
Hindi kasing babaw ang kuwento ng iniisip ko. May sense talaga ito at may pinatutunguhan. Maraming scenes din na makatotohanan at nangyayari talaga.
Pero huwag umasa na ito ay isang obra maestra. Romantic, feel good movie ito. Period.

Verdict: Enjoy panoorin ang movie. Nakakaaliw, nakakatawa, may sense, at epektibong pantanggal ng mga alalahanin kahit panandalian lang. Can relate ako sa drama ni John Lloyd Cruz. May ganyan rin kasing nangyari sa aking nakaraan... Pero saka na ang kuwento tungkol dun offtopic na iyon. Suffice to say, sulit naman ang ibinayad namin sa movie tickets. Uulitin ko ba ito? Hmmm--- annoying kasi si Sam Milby eh, saka unforgivably cheezy iyong ibang lines sa last 15 minutes ng pelikula. Otherwise, okay lang ulitin.

Doing our Part

2006-02-23T16:11:00.000+13:00

The past few days have been especially hard on mommy She is normally a happy-go-lucky person, full of life and energy, and always smiling. The aftereffects of the chemotherapy has made her feel fatigued all the time--- more in the past two days. [The medical explanation: approximately 10 days after chemo, red blood cell count is at its lowest, this causes lack of energy, fatigue, etc. Red blood cell count should start increasing and returning to normal from day 14 onward. ] The steroid she was taking wreaked havoc on her psyche- it causes depression and anxiety. She does her best, though. She still strives to follow her daily routine---still goes to the gym, works out veeryyyy slowly, then goes home for lunch. She takes a lot more naps during the day, because the medication makes her wake up at odd hours of the night: sometimes at 1:30am, sometimes 3am.

I am grateful to our relatives and my mom's friends, who continually encourage her to be diligent and steadfast with her treatment regimen. She has been mouthing off to me, asking whether she could just take supplements and herbs instead of continuing chemo. Good thing one of my aunts visited us. This aunt had cancer, but has been in remission for three years now. She is taking the same supplements as my mom, but she stressed how important it was to follow the chemo regimen in order to get well.

Mom's friends have not been remiss in reminding her and encouraging her to endure the treatment for her own sake. When my mom tells them that she wants to just pray to God for healing, they tell her this anecdote over and over: just to remind her that she needs to do her part as well. Perhaps you are familiar with this story, but I will post it just the same.

A lady was trapped in her home in the midst of a typhoon due to the flashflood which came with the bad weather. A devout person, she was not worried and turned to prayer, knowing that God would save her. "The Lord will not let anything happen to me", she said. The flood kept rising. The worsening weather alarmed the local government, which sent bancas to get remaining residents out of their homes. The lady refused to leave, maintaining that God will take care of her. Still the waters kept rising. Until she was forced to climb to the roof due to the severity of the flood. Her prayers grew more fervent, "Lord deliver me". By then, the Disaster Coordinating Council had been convened. A helicopter had been dispatched to get the few stubborn residents to safety. Still the lady refused to leave. "God will save me!", she insisted. The lady drowned. In heaven, she confronted God. "Why did you not save me, O Lord? Was my faith not strong enough?" God said, " I did try to save you. I send you a boat but you didn't get on it. Later I sent you a helicopter but still you chose to stay behind. What else could I have done?"

Bloody Mary

2006-02-22T17:40:00.000+13:00

Ano kaya ang magiging reaksyon ng mga Katoliko at Kristiyano sa South Park episode na pinamagatang Bloody Mary. Naipalabas ito sa US noong Disyembre. May mga grupong Katoliko sa US na nagreklamo, pero hindi umabot sa level na inabot ng Mohammed cartoon complaints. Ibig sabihin, walang nagriot at nagbanta ng Jihad. Kung may bandwidth kayo, puwede niyong i-download ang naturang episode dito para mapanood.

Ipalabas kaya dito sa Pinas ang naturang episode?
Subukan lang nila--- sagrado Katoliko ang karamihan sa populasyon natin. Baka bigla nating makita ang tindi ng galit ng mga Katoliko kapag nakanti ang isang persona na sagrado para sa kanila.

Ano nga ba ang nilalaman ng nasabing episode?
Ipinapakita nito ang isang statue ng Birheng Maria na dumudugo--- mula sa puwet. Sa episode, nagtungo ang mga tao kung nasaan ang statue dahil nakapagpapagaling daw ang dugo na umaagos mula dito. Andun din sa episode si Pope Benedict at heto ang dialogue niya: " A chick bleeding out her vagina is no miracle. Chicks bleed out their vaginas all the time."

O hindi ba: harap-harapang pambabastos iyan. Sinasalaula ang Birheng Maria, pinagmumukhang mga gago ang mga deboto ng Birheng Maria, pinagtatawanan ang pananampalataya ng mga Katoliko, ipinapakita ang kawalan ng paggalang sa Santo Papa, at nambabastos pa ng kababaihan.

Hindi ako devout Catholic, pero pati ako ay nandiri at nainis sa nakita ko. Ngayon mas naiintindihan ko ang naramdaman ng mga deboto ni Mohammed na nabwisit din sa mga cartoon na inilathala.

PCBB-struck

2006-02-21T18:44:00.000+13:00

My guilty pleasure nowadays is watching Celebrity Pinoy Big Brother. Sometimes I even wake up to watch it. (Nap at 8:30pm, wake up when I hear the new theme song). Dahil sa CPBB napupuyat ako nitong mga araw na ito.

I hated the first Pinoy Big Brother. For a lot of reasons.

But I was intrigued with how celebrities and personalities would conduct themselves in such a situation. Most of the people in Celebrity Pinoy Big Brother are used to being in the limelight, in one form or another. I thought it would be interesting to see if they could turn "it" off--- or if some of them would be acting 90% of the time while inside the house (the 10% is for the times when they're asleep). AND whether I, the viewer, would be able to spot which parts were real emotions and which parts were 'fake'.

I was also intrigued about who they would put together in the house. As it turned out, the mix was interesting because they came from vastly different backgrounds and careers, and the only thing they had in common was that the were/are famous and distinguished in their field, and that they would be forced to live together under the same roof. What could have made them want to join a contest like this? Surely it can't just be the million pesos. Subject yourself to scrutiny and judgment 24/7...? It's no picnic. As celebrities, they're probably used to sacrifing a little bit of their privacy and freedom. But to be under the whim and caprices of an unknown entity for two months? I wonder if the "losers" will be given consolation prizes: or are they doing it for the potential fame and fortune post-CPBB?

This early, I already have favorites- Bianca I like, for her charming personality. Gretchen, I like for her lack of affectation. Keanna is alright: the most honest remarks come from her (the funniest ones too). Only Budoy- a talented musician- has made an impression with me among the males. John Pratts moves well when he dances, but sometimes I just don't know when he stops acting and when he starts being himself. Rico seems kind and considerate, to the point of being annoying and stifling.

I'm glad they made a new theme song for the show too, the old one was a joke. Kinopya na nga lang sa iba, pinangatawanan pa kahit mali. I like the new one better, it's more contemporary too.

Namatanda

2006-02-21T17:59:00.000+13:00

Sabi ng sis ko, namatanda daw ata ang pamilya namin.

Paano kasi, tila sunod-sunod ang nagkakasakit.

Yung kamay ko, yung kapatid kong sumunod na nagka-carpal tunnel, tapos ngayon nanay namin na may lymphoma.

Tapos noong weekend sinabi ng kapatid ko---yung kapatid kong may carpal tunnel na sobrang nag-numb na iyong kamay niya kaya pinaopera na--- na parang sumasakit din ang dibdib niya. Tumatawa siya nang ikuwento ito sa akin, pero siyempre may bahid pag-aalala din ang pagkakakuwento niya. Hirap paniwalaan, kasi 31 lang siya. Pero dapat pa ring obserbahan kung babalik ang pagsakit ng dibdib niya. Sana heartburn lang. O kaya hindi lang natunawan.

Ako naman na nagpaopera din ng DeQuervains---bumalik sa doktor kaninang umaga. Rehab doctor naman ngayon para itanong kung kailangan pang i-therapy ang kamay ko (namamanhid pa rin 12 days matapos ang operasyon). Ikinonsulta ko na rin ang balikat at likod ko na nagsasasakit din. Noon kasi balikat lang---ilang taon nang pabalik balik ang pangangawit/pananakit pero di ko pinapansin. Tapos noong mga nakaraang linggo parang nadamay iyong likod ko kaya pinatingnan ko na. Aba, sabihin ba naman ng rehab doctor na may scoliosis daw ako. ANOKAMO? Anlakas nga ng reaction ko, napabulalas ako sa doctor na: Wala! Sabi niya, eh hindi pantay ang left at right shoulder mo eh. Grabe naman ang doctor na iyon, basta basta nagbibitaw ng diagnosis na ganun, di niya ba alam na nakakaalarma siya.

Saka naka-ilang balik na ako sa ortho doctor. Hindi ba dapat iyon ang makakapansin kung may scoliosis ako? Unless---kamay ko lang ang na-diagnose niya dahil iyon lang ang reklamo ko?

Nagdududa tuloy ako sa mga doktor ngayon, lalo na nitong HMO ko. Parang "trigger happy" ata sila.

Tulad nalang nung ortho doctor ko. Iyon din ang nagsabi sa amin na ipaopera na namin ang kamay namin---carpal tunnel ni sis, dequervains ko. Siya ang gumawa ng operasyon. Sabi niya simpleng procedure lang daw, outpatient, magagamit at babalik sa normal ang kamay at magagamit.

Eh bakit namamanhid itong kamay na naopera. Bakit hindi niya sinabing maaring may madamage na nerves sa operasyon, at maaaring buwan ang hintayin bago gumaling? Hindi niya sinabing iyong impinged nerves sa kamay ng kapatid ko, maaring maraming buwan ang bilangin bago maging "close to normal" dahil per millimeter ang healing, at bawat millimeter buwan ang binibilang bago gumaling. Sinabi niya ito isang linggo matapos na buksan niya ang operasyon. Kung sabagay mali din kami: naniwala kami sa sinabi niyang simple lang ang operasyon. Dapat natandaan namin na---simple lang sa kanya, pero kami ang papasan ng lahat ng epekto nito: inaasahan man o hindi.

Pinababalik ako ng rehab doc sa susunod na linggo para sabay niyang tingnan ang kamay at likod ko. Hindi ko seseryosohin ang preliminary opinion niya na batay sa tingin tingin lang. At sa susunod na linggo magsusuod ako ng plain colored shirt. Baka namalikmata lang siya dahil naka-stripe ako.

May Job Offer ka na; May Work Visa na Din

2006-02-16T15:28:00.000+13:00

Iniaalay ko ito sa mga magigiting na miyembro ng Pinoys2NZ na hindi nawawalan ng pag-asa kahit pa naghigpit ng kaunti ang NZ Immigration rules. Patuloy silang nagsisikap: pinagagana ang sipag, tiyaga, at abilidad para makahanap ng job offer.

Sa mga hindi pamilyar sa proseso: ang pagkakaroon ng job offer ang isa sa pinakamabibilis na paraan ng pagtungtong sa New Zealand. "Fast Track" ito: exempted ka sa interview at mga kaakibat na gastos ng interview, skip mo na rin ang ilang buwang paghihintay ng visa. Biruin mo, ma-skip mo lang ang interview (na ginaganap sa Bangkok...!) makakatipid ka na ng at least $240 per person na pamasahe at accomodation. Puwera pa pangkain iyon. Saka kapag may valid job offer ka, mahabang mahaba na ang 60 days na hintayan bago lumabas ang work visa mo. Maiksi, kumpara sa 3 - 6 months na hihintayin mo kapag may interview process pa.

May job offer ka na. At dahil sa job offer mo, nabigyan ka agad ng work visa ng NZ embassy. Ano na ngayon ang next step mo? Paalis ka na! Pero bago ka bumili ng tiket, may isa pang importanteng ahensiya kang dadaanan.

I'm talking about the POEA. Whether lalabas ka ng bansa as migrant or as OFW, dadaan ka talaga sa kanila. For this entry, and tatalakayin ko lang ay ang pagkuha ng OEC (Overseas Employment Certificate) at OFW Identification card mula sa POEA.

Kailangan mo ng OEC kung Work Visa ang hawak mo. CFO naman ang kailangan kapag aalis ka as migrant, pero ibang entry na iyon. Huwag balewalain ito, dahil baka sa airport ka pa pigilang umalis--- sayang naman ang trabahong naghihintay sa iyo kung maaaberya ka pa.

Ihanda ang sumusunod sa pagkuha ng Overseas Employment Certificate.

valid Passport
work visa o work permit (ibig sabihin, dapat lumabas na iyong actual na work visa ninyo bago niyo umpisahang ma-process ito. hindi puwedeng approval in principle pa lang kasi hahanapin nila iyong documentary evidence- the actual visa/permit)
hard copy ng employment contract- kailangan authenticated (NZIS na gagawa nito for you: to make sure the offer is genuine)
medical exam (iyong asawa ko, ibinigay na lang ang resulta ng medical exams niya from the NZIS work visa application. Advise ko: gumawa ng photocopy ng lahat ng papel ninyo, pati medical records, ipa-notaryo niyo na rin para kapag kinailangan ninyo ito ay handa na.)
maglaan ng panahon para sa kalahating araw na Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (sa POEA din ginaganap)
BAYAD!!! Heto ang listahan ng mga babayaran para makuha ang CFO at OFW ID:

a) Processing Fee $100 (U.S.)
b) OWWA Membership fee $25
c) OWWA Medicare P900.
Dito sa tatlo, iyong unang dalawa alam kong binayaran ng asawa ko. Hindi ko tanda kung iyong Medicare ay compulsary o hindi.

Maglaan ng minimum na dalawang araw para dito. Alamin ang mga seminar dates at times, malamang bumalik kayo para dito pero iyong ibang proseso puwede niyo nang umpisahang lakarin.

Dumating ng maaga dahil mahaba-haba ang pila at maraming tao. Officially, 7am ang bukas pero bago pa man mag-alas-6 ay may pila na. 60-tao kada araw lamang ang ia-accomodate (iyan ay ayon sa asawa ko). Kapag number 30 pataas ka, bumalik ka na lang pagkatanghalian dahil tiyak hapon ka na tatawagin. Kapag number 61 pataas ka, sa susunod na araw ka na ma--process.

Unang una ninyong gagawin ay ang pumila para mag-sign up.
Sign up para ma-check nila ang requirements ninyo kung kumpleto. Kung kulang, pababalikin kayo: kaya siguraduhing dala niyo na lahat ng kakailanganin. When in doubt: bring two photocopies of everything! Kesa naman magsayang pa kayo ng oras sa pagpila sa photocopying counter. (lagi raw 10 - 12 na tao ang nakapila dito... )

Sunod: Tatawagin nila kayo at bibigyan ng form. Sa parteng ito, maging alisto. Madalas ay walang mikropono ang nasa counter kaya maaaring natawag na kayo pero hindi niyo ito narinig. Kahit sabihin sa inyo na umupo muna kayo dahil tatawagin naman kayo: pumili ng upuang malapit sa counter para marinig ninyo ang pangalan ninyo. Obserbahan at tandaan kung sino iyong mga taong nauna sa inyo: kapag tinawag na sila, logically susunod na kayo. Follow up ninyo kapag na-skip kayo.

Pagkabigay sa inyo ng form, i-fill up ito. Ibabalik mo rin ito sa kanila kasabay ng mga requirements.

Last step na ang pagbabayad.

Dumalo sa Pre-departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS). Requirement ito.

Dagdag na paalala at tips bago sumugod sa POEA:

Mahina ang aircon kadalasan sa POEA, kaya magsuot ng kumportable at hindi mainit na damit.
Pero iyong medyo disente naman. Para maiwasang maging target ng mga government employee na nagpo-powertrip.
Maghanda sa mahaba-habang hintayan.
Magdala ng baong pagkain at tubig.
Higit sa lahat, habaan ang pasensiya at maging alisto.

Pahabol na tip: Magdasal na huwag masira ang computer sa araw na napili mong bumisita sa POEA....dahil kapag nasira ito, tatlong araw aabutin ang papeles mo.

( This information is from POEA processing as of November 2005. Please be advised that conditions may have changed since then. For more information, visit the POEA website poea.gov.ph)

Hearts Day

2006-02-14T16:55:00.000+13:00

heartsday, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

Happy Hearts Day, Daddy. Try not to feel too lonely. Although we are several hours away from you, know that you are never far from our thoughts and our hearts. We always think of you, and how we wish you could be with us, during even the most mundane moments. We are proud of you, proud that you found the courage to start out again in a new place by yourself---proud that you have made the best of the situation even if we can't be there physically to help you out and show our support through our presence. You also said you were finally able to buy a car today. Congratulations! No matter that it is a secondhand car, it is still something that you worked hard and saved for. It's the first big, tangible product of your sweat and tears. We look forward to being together with you in a few more months. In the meantime, have fun, get lots of sleep and rest, go out with friends, and get to know Wellington so that you can introduce us to our new home city when we arrive. We miss you. We love you.

Living with and despite Lymphoma

2006-02-13T15:48:00.000+13:00

The good news is that mom's CT scans were clear from the chest down. I nearly shed tears of relief when I read the report. All major organs are clear as well. Thank God.

The bad news is that the lymph nodes on the other side of her neck are enlarged. Meaning, that's where the cancer cells are acting up now. The doctor advised 6 sessions of chemotherapy, once every three weeks to allow the body to recover in between sessions. The chemo regimen is called CHOP- each letter represents the name of the drug that they will use. We scheduled her chemotherapy at once. We do not want to give the disease time to progress any further.

Sunday night, she was admitted to PGH. (My tito and her oncologist are both affiliated there.) Yesterday morning, she finished her first chemo treatment. An hour later, she experienced chills. Then sweats. Last night she found it difficult to fall asleep, had hyperacidity, and felt anxious. I do not know what other side effects my mom will be experiencing in the next few days. I can only pray that she will be able to handle it and remain focused on getting well.

I was depressed the past few days and couldn't pinpoint why exactly: it came to me this morning. It's the whole illness and everything that goes with it. It's difficult seeing mom feeling sick and being low on energy. It's hard to see her in pain, or experiencing so many ill effects from the medication. Then there is the fact that Lymphoma does not go away: there is remission, but there is always the chance that it will come back some place else.

I spoke to her oncologist this morning, and he said that mom should avoid going out in the next two weeks. Even playing mahjong with her friends is risky, due to her delicate immune system. Infection is her biggest enemy right now, and other people are potential sources of infection. My mom goes to church every Saturday evening- the doctor told her that if she planned to continue that routine, she ought to wear a mask: not because she was infectious, but because she might catch something from other people. My mom gets restless when confined to the house for long periods of time. My sister and I will just have to think up ways to entertain her, or places to bring her which aren't too crowded.

Our whole family has to adjust to living with this illness, on helping mom modify her routine and her old activities to her new condition. It will be hard, but we have to remain strong and upbeat for her. Stay encouraging, positive, and increase our understanding and compassion. We owe her that because she's been tougher than we ever expected her to be. Imagine--- it's hard enough for the members of the family to adjust to this illness, what more for my mom who is the patient. Even as she told me about not getting too much sleep last night, she still told me to take care of and check on my dad. Then she told me not to worry, that she would get better. My mom must be really made of tough stuff to be able to still think about us when she herself is not feeling up to par.

Two Weeks

2006-02-10T15:49:00.000+13:00

Two weeks ago, my mom's biopsy results came in. My tito, an EENT surgeon, needed a special stain to confirm the results. We anxiously waited for the verdict. End of last week, it was confirmed (two other hemopathologists concurred): Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma. We found out Friday, but kept it to ourselves for the weekend. We also set an appointment for Monday with an oncologist recommended by my tito. Sunday afternoon I spent at National Bookstore, buying prayer and inspirational books to put by my mom's bed after we told her the news.

This Monday, an hour before we were due to leave for the doctor's, we broke the news to my dad first. He was not very surprised. He had suspected something bad when my tito wouldn't comment when my dad asked about the biopsy results. Then I told my mom. I tried to downplay the situation, and skirt her initial question which was: "Ano iyon, cancer?" That was one of the few times I was glad that she didn't know how to access the internet. Not that I wanted her to be totally ignorant about her condition, but in this case: too much information just breeds fear. Stress and negative emotions are things she shouldn't be entertaining now.

But my mom isn't stupid. She was frightened. When we got to the oncologist's office, she was trembling. She even asked the doctor point blank, "How long will I live". I was grateful for the oncologist's reply: he smiled and said, "You will live---forever!". I don't care if it was false hopes: it raised my mom's courage and willingness to fight her illness by undergoing treatment. Truth be told, I needed the positive outlook myself: this lymphoma thing is so confusing. There are 2 kinds of lymphoma, and under the non-Hodgkins type, there are at least twenty variants! And so my courage was boosted when the oncologist said that this type of illness/cancer was responsive to therapy.

She will need chemo. That is a given. We do not know what stage the illness has progressed to. We can only hope that it hasn't spread so far. All we know is that a mass has been removed from her neck. Initial biopsy showed a benign tumor---second stain still benign---the third stain registered positive for malignancy. My mom has undergone a slew of tests the past two days to determine the extent of her illness. This afternoon, my sister and I will be picking up the CT results. If the disease has anyplace above her abdomen, that is considered stage 2. If the malignancy is detected below her abdomen, that is stage 3. We can only pray that the results show negative spread...this means her illness is only at stage 1.

Of course we are scared. I have been obsessive about buying fruits and veggies, and megadoses of multivitamins - the past week. We've initially supplemented my mom's diet with three servings of vegetable juice per day. And the multivitamins. I am looking into complementary therapies to help her immune system fight the disease and cope with the side effects of the chemo treatment. Thus far I am researching the benefits of Virgin Coconut Oil (readily available so it's worth researching), and a mushroom available mostly in Hongkong and China: Yunzhi (several studies has shown that it retards the growth of some tumors). My next step: switch from white rice to brown rice. And switch from refined sugar to brown sugar. Baby steps first. The lifestyle change has to be doable and permanent.

Friends and relatives who might come upon my blog: please say a prayer for my mom and our family. That we may be granted the grace, the courage, and the strength to cope with and survive this. If the Lord wills it, she will get well. If not, may we have the faith, hope, and courage to say, "The Lord giveth, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the Name of the Lord." BUT Don't shed any tears for my mom: prayers, good wishes, positive vibes are what she needs most. Help me, help our family stay positive and hopeful through this.

No Act of God

2006-02-07T15:37:00.000+13:00

I was reading Mec's post (see Laments/Rants from Middle Class entry) on the recent tragedy at Ultra.

She had one scathing comment from a reader, who blasted her lack of compassion for those who were hurt and those who died at the scene. The thing is, I can't blame her for not feeling empathy toward those who were there. Given the behavior I saw on television, it was no wonder that the incident happened. The miracle was that only 70+ people died! That sounded callous, yes: but what do you call those people who remained at the stadium even after finding out that people had died outside? And then even cheered "Wowowee" repeatedly, after show host Willie Revillame announced that the program would not be pushing through that day? What do you call those people who insisted on staying put in line, who didn't even call their worried relatives for fear of losing their place in line? What do you call those people who---amidst the pileup of dead bodies in front of them---still saw fit to smile and wave at the tv cameras...? Manhid, di ba. And maybe just a little sick.

Pero sige na. Let's just say that horrendous events bring about different reactions in order to allow people to cope. Let's say that behind the smiles were shock and grief and outrage.

More than anything, I'd like to think that most of the people there were not all bad. That they might have become numb to other people's pain because of their problems. And that: the best word to describe many of them is DESPERATE. I'd like to believe that they weren't all there because it was "easy money". After all, what is easy about standing in line and waiting for three days, half starved from hunger and unable to go anywhere for fear of losing your place in a line? What's easy about surrendering your self-respect and toughing it out with thousands of others---for the sake of doleouts?

Many of them were there because to them, it seemed like the only way to earn anything remotely decent. Call it twisted, but to them the choice was between 3 days of staying at home or 3 days of looking for work that paid less than minimum and abunado pa sila sa pamasahe, or 3 days of standing in line AND the hope of getting the equivalent of at least 3,4, or 10 days' wages. I'm not justifying their actions, just trying to figure out why that show---that line---seemed the most logical place for them to be, given their situation. They were desperate. And desperation can screw up a person's head.

The more tragic and hateful thing are the people who should have known better---who used this desperation to show that they were popular, that they were number one. Even the program host Willie Revillame admitted knowing that these people had been converged at the Ultra at least three days before the anniversary show. He admitted driving around the complex and staring at the people in line. "Iniisip ko kung papano ko sila tutulungan". That's what he said. That statement might have some truth to it---that he wanted and still wants to help. But can he say that he didn't have one proud bone in his body. That he didn't have thoughts like, "Sikat talaga ang show ko, sure number 1 kami sa ratings nito. Ilang percent kaya ang lamang namin sa kabila." Did he honestly think he was helping these people out by allowing them to camp out at ULTRA for days, for the chance of getting doleouts? Now he is grief-stricken: where was his compassion and empathy when these people were still around to benefit from it?

And these network executives and other entertainers constantly harping about how all they wanted to do was bring cheer and give help to the poor. Cheer, maybe. If that kind of entertainment is your thing. Watch an episode and see how some people are made fun of- and how they accept and adjust to such treatment made at their expense---to bring home extra money. But HELP? Come on. Whatever help the show gives out is incidental. They flash money and prizes because many are poor and hungry and need the cash. So that these poor and hungry and desperate people will be dazzled to come and watch in the hope of winning a little for themselves. Money and Prizes make the ratings. The "help" is contingent on getting good ratings. If they really, really wanted to "help": they ought to be funding scholarships instead of giving out instant money. They ought to be funding and promoting livelihood classes free of charge, instead of cash. But these would probably not sell as well as the promise of instant cash. They ought to be investing in long term poverty alleviation, instead of using band-aid solutions.

And now they are trying to wash their hands of blame, as though this was some act of God. It was not. Put a large bunch of people together in one room for a prolonged period of time, and something is bound to happen. Add in fatigue, hunger, and discomfort: and you get a disaster waiting to happen. Surely it doesn't take a genius to figure this out. The spark that ignited the stampede: giving out tickets the morning of the show. Logistics couldn't have figured out a better way to give out raffle prizes other than this? Then there was the fact that these people were allowed to camp out for an extended time. I have heard of overnight vigils, but not 3-4-5 days before. Some came a week before the event: and nobody stopped them from camping out at Ultra. Then there was the sheer number of people: if ULTRA can only accomodate 9,000---what were they planning to do with the 11,000 or so other people who could not be accomodated.

The most pathetic thing: some people don't even realize they've been used as fodder for ratings. Many still genuinely believe that Willie, ABSCBN, and Wowowee "just wanted to help and uplift the poor. "

One final thing: BLAST those who keep bringing network wars into this in one way or another. These rabid fans. They just don't know when to quit flinging innuendo upon innuendo. Just because people call for an accounting of this incident beyond just paying for hospitalization and funeral expenses does not make them rabid ABSCBN haters. This goes above and beyond petty ratings wars. An accounting ought to be made, regardless of which network sponsored the event. Those 70+ dead people deserve that much.

Senseless

2006-02-04T16:07:00.000+13:00

Habang sinusulat ko ito, 66 na ang namatay sa Ultra at mahigit 100 katao ang sugatang isinugod sa mga malalapit na ospital. Lahat ng mga ito ay nakapila para sa anibersaryo ng noontime show na WOWOWEE.

Para sa mga nasa ibang bansa: ang Wowowee ay isang noontime show na nakilala dahil sa pagbibigay ng papremyo sa mga sumasali sa kanilang pa-contest. Kahit contestant pa lang, may cash prize na (P3,000). Mas malaki siyempre ang premyo ng mga nananalo. Para sa unang anibersaryo ng naturang palabas, 4 Million pesos ang papremyong ipamimigay- Kaya hindi nakakapagtakang pilahan ito ng mga kababayan nating walang trabaho. Karamihan sa mga namatay ay mga kababaihan na edad 40 pataas.

Kawawa naman ang mga taong ito. Biktima sila ng kahirapan. Biktima sila ng mga pangyayari. Wala silang maasahang tulong, kaya kapit sa patalim sila. Ito nga naman ang pagkakataong magkapera nang hindi ka magnanakaw o gagawa ng ilegal.

Lubhang nakakagalit.Karamihan sa mga taong ito ay ilang oras nang nakapila. Ang iba ay isa- dalawang araw nang nakapila sa pag-asang makasali sa pa-contest. Imbis na magpa-anunsiyo ang mga producer ng tv show na "Magsitigil na kayo sa pagpila sa ULTRA, at hindi namin kayang i-accomodate kayong lahat", maririnig mo pa sa ilang komentarista nila sa radyo ang animo'y pagyayabang dahil "marami nang nakapila sa Ultra"--- kahit Huwebes or Miyerkules pa lang ay may mga nagsipila na para masiguradong makakapasok sa anibersaryo, gayong Sabado pa naman ito. Kahit huwag na muna nating pag-usapan ang safety issues ng ganoon karaming tao na nagtumpukan sa iisang lugar. Pero bakit ni hindi inisip ang hirap ng mga taong nagtitiis magsipila pero hindi rin lahat makakapasok sa takdang araw. Nasaan ang social responsibility ng mga ito? Maganda kasi sa publicity at maganda tingnan sa kamera na maraming tao, dinudumog, at pinipilahan ang tv show. Pampataas ng ratings.

Tuloy ayan ang nangyari. Isang kahindik-hindik na trahedya.

Baka naman pati mga namatay at namatayan, pagpistahan pa at gawing pampataas ng ratings. Makunsensiya naman kayo.

Kuwentong Narnia

2006-02-01T16:24:00.000+13:00

Sa wakas, napanood ko na rin ang Narnia. Dalawang beses pa nga. Nung una, kasama ko iyong dalawang barkada kong sina L at T. Pangalawang beses, si Ninang Charchar naman. Puwede namang di ko panoorin nang dalawang beses pero hindi ko kasi nagustuhan noong unang panood. Kaya bumalik ako ng pangalawang beses para tingnan kung- ako lang ba ang may problema? Sadya kayang masyadong mataas ang inaasahan ko sa pelikula kaya hindi ako nasiyahan sa kanya. Mataas kasi ang rating niya dito, at marami din siyang rave reviews dito.

Bata pa lang ako, naging paborito ko na ang cartoon na "The Lion, The witch, and the Wardrobe". Ni hindi ko nga alam na may libro pala nito. Grade 7 ko lang nalaman na may libro nito. Siyempre, dali dali kong hiniram at binasa sa library. Nagustuhan ko din. Diyan nagsimula ang aking pagkagiliw sa mga akda ni C.S. Lewis. Hindi ko binasa ang pitong libro ng Narnia: Prince Caspian at The Last Battle ang dalawa pang nabasa ko. Mas tagahanga kasi ako ng ibang akda niya, lalo na iyong mga essay niya.

Tandang tanda ko iyong cartoon version ng TLTW&TW. Paano kong hindi matatandaan, eh nasira namin iyong betamax tape sa kakapanood nun. (Betamax pa ang uso noon). Kaya naman excited na excited ako nang malamang isasapelikula ito. Lalo na nung naipalabas na. Hinintay ko pa nga na magkaroon ng libreng oras ang mga kapatid ko para sabay sabay sana naming panoorin. Yun nga lang, hindi pa sila nagkakaroon ng libreng panahon. Baka kako matanggal na sa mga sinehan ang TLTW&TW kaya minabuti ko na ring panoorin kasama ng mga kaibigan ko.

Nagustuhan naman nina T & L. Hindi ko nagustuhan. Una, hindi mahuhusay ang mga nagsiganap. Hindi marunong umarte. O hindi rin ba maganda iyong script---? May idinagdag silang action scenes, pero bakit hindi nila inilagay iyong ibang mga scene at dialogue sa libro. Ni hindi nila ipinakita si Aslan na kalaro iyong mga bata, hindi nila ipinakita na nabubuhay ang mga halaman at natutunaw ang yelo sa bawat sulok na mapiling apakan ni Aslan. Hindi nila ipinakita na si Aslan ay hindi lang leon na nakakatakot, hindi lang palaging pinuno ng army: siya rin ay leon na punong puno ng buhay at kagalakan, mahilig makipaglaro sa mga bata, malakas humalakhak. Iyong libro habang binabasa mo makakaramdam ka ng tuwa, galak, at excitement tungkol kay Aslan. Importante sina Peter, Susan, Lucy, at Edmund, pero central ang karakter ni Aslan. Sa pelikula, parang bitin at kulang ang naging pagpapakilala sa kanya- Flat. Meron pa: iyong boses ni Aslan. Parang mali. Kulang sa authority at conviction. Parang may pagkalamya.

Sa teknikal na aspeto naman: maraming madidilim na kuha ang pelikula. Iyong tipong kailangang mag-strain ka para may makita sa screen. Puwede namang gawan iyon ng paraan: maraming pelikulang may nightshots pero nakukunan nila ng maganda. Hindi naman artificially bright, pero hindi din mahirap makita sa dilim. Dito, ewan ko ba kung bakit hindi nila naayos iyong ilang night shots.

Tungkol naman sa palasyo ng White Witch. Bakit parang maliit? Kulang sa grandeur. Kulang sa laki. Kulang sa pagka-spooky. Pati na ang Narnia: minsan masyadong maliit iyong pagka-portray. Iyong gubat kung nasaan iyong lamppost: pakiwari ko ay gubat din kung nasaan ginanap ang "Florante at Laura"---kahit minsan hindi naligaw ang mga bida: lahat ng mga characters doon nagkikita-kita, at nagkakabanggaan pa. Oo, sinasabi ng mga characters na "malayo pa ang daan sa pupuntahan nila", pati si beaver nagsabi na siyempre malayo," it's the world"...pero mas maganda sana kung consistent nilang ipinakita yung kalakihan ng Narnia, imbis na sinabi lang. Diba nga, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Pagod na ako sa usapang allegory daw ang Narnia. Ni hindi ko na ito tatalakayin dito. Pinanood ko ito "on its own", at ang mga komento ko ay batay sa paghusga ko sa pelikula sa sarili nitong mga merito. Para sa akin...kulang sa magic at wonder ang pelikula. Sayang dahil pinakaabang-abangan ko pa naman ito.

Oddities

2006-01-26T15:30:00.000+13:00

I don't suppose that any person would find it easy to spot what was odd about himself. Analyse's tag had asked me to list five things that others might find weird about me. I don't know if I will come up with five, but I'll still have a go at it. Weird is such a broad term. To some people, it might even connote something negative. I'd like to think that weird, in this case, means just that-- Odd. Strange. Peculiar to most people.

First, I am not afraid to take a chance and plunk down my savings on a new gadget. I'm a gadget freak. Long before the use of MP3 players became a fad, I already had one. I bought one from this seedy-looking internet store and had it delivered here in Manila. I already worked out with the MP3 player when the people beside me on the treadmill at the gym still used their discman. That was many, many months ago (years too) , before ordering things from the internet became almost ordinary. Same goes for my Dell Axim. Before the beautiful crowd in Manila had gotten in on the PDA frenzy(although now I hear that PDAPhones are the new PDA), I had already disposed of three earlier palmtops (the earliest one had a mere 2MB memory). I have saved a bundle of money, reading books out of my PDA instead of buying the printed ones. Among the other gadgets I have or had- a pedometer (counts your footsteps per day-it was a fitness tool), a watch with heartrate monitor (still a fitness tool), a watch with camera (it took tiny pictures but was too big on my wrist), a discman that played mp3's (before they became run of the mill items and were replaced by mp3 players).

Next, I like to walk. Not just that, I also like to explore. Given a choice between going the direct route and meandering through sidestreets yet unexplored, I would rather take the sidestreets. On the condition, of course, that I was wearing comfy shoes, was not tired from lack of sleep, and had the time to get lost. Given a choice between stairs and the elevator, I take the stairs half the time. Especially if taking the stairs means I won't have to wait for the elevator to arrive. Whenever I take the stairs, I feel like I am adding to my workout: like I am helping my heart be a little healthier. That's why I don't mind the extra effort.

Also. I have a penchant for ordering too much food. This is because I like to taste a little of everything. When my sister and I eat out, we normally end up bringing home extra food because of this habit.
Related to this habit of ordering too much food--- I also try to order whatever looks different on the menu. As long as it is not that expensive. Chicken or Lamb Shawarma? Lamb--because we don't often get to eat that. Rice or Couscous?-- Couscous, for the same reason. I often like to experiment with food, even if it means I might get stuck with a bad meal for the same price. I always chalk it up to experience---and tell myself that at least, I won't be curious about that dish again. And I'll know what NOT to order next time.

I don't know how odd I am, but the women in my family don't cook. The guys do. I know that maybe my husband is nurturing the hope that I will learn when I get to NZ. I hope so too, or else we are in for lots of fried anythings. Still, I hear my husband has learned to cook Moroccan Lamb. How's that for fancy schmancy! I am not afraid to cook, though. We took two years of cooking classes in my high school, so I can follow a recipe. I can even bake. I suppose I could cook when needed, maybe I just have not had the impetus to do so. Especially given that my little brother does so much better with cooking than I ever have.

So there. An initial rundown of some quirks I have.

Finally, After a Long Time.

2006-01-24T01:45:00.000+13:00

Okay, not that long a time. The last good movie I saw was "Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros". It was good, but I like the look of good film (literally "film"- I am thinking the filmmakers lacked the budget to buy the proper film reel and used an inferior one for filming, thus the grainy quality...?) when watching a movie. And I like being able to hear what the characters are saying on screen, instead of straining to hear them because the independent filmmaker behind the production lacked the budget for dubbing. But that's a different movie altogether.

Today, I am glad to report that my sister and I just saw the Piolo-Juday movie, "Don't Give Up on Us", and it was surprisingly good. I had heard some positive feedback, some tentative nods about the movie: still I resisted. After all, what is good for many people might be crap for others. I had been disappointed quite a few times before by well-marketed films that had turned out to be duds (illogical story, stupid plot with stupid characters). But when good friend Charchar also admitted hearing tentative nods from her friends, I finally decided to make time to check it out.

It's a Joyce Bernal film. Of course it's a romantic-comedy. That is her forte.

What I liked about the movie:

1) It was paced just right. With some films, certain scenes seem too slow and certain scenes feel hurried. The pacing of the movie was just right.

2) I say it again: it is trademark Joyce Bernal--- the earlier Joyce Bernal. (She kind of dropped the ball in her last few films, but she was on the right track with her earlier work.) There are no too-sappy moments, no over-the-top crying scenes, no hysterics, and humor is injected at just the appropriate times. A lot of the humor comes from the fast paced banter of the two leads.

3) Piolo Pascual and Judy Ann Santos - both were very unself-conscious, and played their parts well.

4) No Product Endorsements. This had become a fad in other commercial films---the odd closeup of a sardine brand in a certain actress' film, coincidentally: the brand that the actress also endorses in real life. It can be quite distracting to the film viewer, this trend. A good thing that this film resisted that. Or they were more subtle than the others.

5) I always gripe about the odd bit, the strange turn of events, the deus ex machina: many of our local films have a tendency to simplify things, gloss over problems, or turn weird. By weird I mean: the plot of the movie coasts along fine and then suddenly, from out of nowhere, something happens that is so ridiculous or quite illogical that it ruins the whole story. No such thing in this movie. Which brings me to...

6) A good, straightforward, entertaining story. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Plaudits to the writer/writers and the producer, who heard our clamor for better stories. Stories that actually make sense and don't treat the audience like they're stupid. The dialogue was just right too: nothing preachy or unnatural sounding. As for the conflict in the story: I thought it was very adult, very real. Why should anyone up and leave something they had nurtured (like a career they love) to prove their devotion to someone. Someone did "give up" his lifestyle---it was not abject surrender, rather it was a matter of prioritizing and valuing. Love is that which pushes us to grow. It does not dictate, but it does make us want to be "more". (Remember Jack Nicholson in As Good As It Gets "You make me want to be a better man.") It necessitates compromise, but not a complete subservience to the other (that would not be love at all). I'll stop before I reveal any more spoilers.

7) Good choice of location. They shot the Baguio that we don't normally get to see. More importantly, it doesn't feel like they only shot the view so they could show it to the audience. The cinematography helped propel the story along and show how much time had passed. You also felt like you saw the unseen side of Baguio, Banaue, and Sagada. Beyond Burnham, beyond John Hay, beyond the Rice Terraces. You felt like you saw a slice of life of someone actually living there.

8) Majority of Pinoy films are not subtle. We don't do subtle. Yet, I dare say that there was subtlety- a certain restraint- in using the romantic angle here. The love story unfolded very nicely amidst the backdrop of the Baguio-Banawe-Sagada trip. The farther they got from civilisation, the longer they were together, the more the chemistry changed from sneering contempt to tolerance to friendship to something more. I rather liked the way love just sort of happened to these two, instead of how other films hit you on the head with the fact. Sometimes less is more. It works in this movie.

Needless to say, this film will be among the few that I will be bringing to NZ, to watch again with my husband. The movie is on its third week. You can find a movie theater, get movie timeslots, and read more reviews from other viewers here.

edited Jan 25,2006

Heard

2006-01-23T18:13:00.000+13:00

Not a sports fan, but hard to ignore the news that Pacquiao won versus Morales. Good for him. His training, focus, and discipline finally bore fruit. His coach should also be lauded; I hear he played a big part in getting Pacquiao ready physically and strategy-wise.

My brother-in-law was at the barbershop around lunchtime yesterday morning. The barbers were excitedly focused on the fight. They kept ignoring this boy who was trying to engage them in conversation. Piqued, he said in a loud voice: Morales bagsak sa 10. The barbers grew deathly quiet. Then chose to disbelieve him. Still, the damage was done. My bro-in-law still watched the rest of the game though.

Heard that the P500 "pay-per-view" tickets to The Fight being sold at Rockwell Powerplant Mall were sold out. Heard that many congressmen had bought tickets to watch the fight in the movie theater sans commercials. SM Cinema was also selling tickets at P300 each. Heard that nearly each SM Cinema had dedicated one theater to the fight. I wonder if Pacquiao saw a fraction of that money. I sure hope so. After all, it was his body doing the pummelling and getting battered in the process.

Heard on a.m. radio: Vietnam's budget for athletes: P30,000 each. Philippine government's stipend for athletes: P11,000.

Also heard this joke.
There were two Manny Pacquiaos in the ring after the fight. One was Manny Pacquiao, the winner. The other --- yung taga-"Pakyaw" ng "Money" (referring to the First Gentleman who was among the first to rush to the ring and congratulate Pacquiao). Politicians. *Pah*

News: Raya's Baptism coincides with Sto. Nino Feast

2006-01-16T19:40:00.000+13:00

rayabap, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

When the priest first put the sign of the cross on Raya's forehead and blessed her, I almost cried. I do not consider myself a very religious person, so I was quite unprepared for my reaction. It was a combination of joy, melancholy, longing, and fatigue all rolled into one. I was overjoyed that Raya is now a Christian. I was glad and thankful that our families and closest friends were there to witness it.

Yet I also wished that my husband could have been there. That he could have been the one to help me with Raya as I brought her to the fountain filled with holy water. I was sad that he missed another milestone in Raya's young life.

And I felt tired---being a single parent while we wait for the time when we can go to NZ. Since I am Raya's only parent present here in Manila, I always feel that I have to experience everything and immerse myself in Raya's world with extra intensity. I want to be an effective witness to Raya's development for my husband's sake. So that I can share all my stories with him: so that I am familiar with even the smallest details of what is happening with Raya. He does not impose this standard on me; it is just something that I feel I must do for my husband. Trying to be attentive and alert all the time is exhausting work. Even with yaya around.

All these emotions and feelings almost made me lose it at that one moment. Good thing I was able to successfully distract myself, or I would have been the only parent there who was crying. Another contributing factor to my melancholy was the sight of all the other babies who had both parents, and even their other siblings with them. Nevertheless, I appreciated our family and our friends even more for their support and love. My two pairs of ninongs and ninangs came on time. One had to rush from being on duty in a hospital, and the other came all the way from Bulacan: yet they made it. I was thankful for the presence of my "little" brother, who volunteered to take all the pictures for the baptism. My sister, her husband, and cousin Olo also made it in time to witness the ceremony.

Raya was her usual curious self at the church. She was the only kid who babbled a lot during the short service---like she wanted to ask me what the fuss was all about, and why there were so many people gathered in one place at the same time. She did not cry---not even when the priest poured water on her head. She just glanced at him inquisitively, like she wanted to ask, "What's this all about---I already took my bath". Back in our pew, she began to babble again.

There were over 10 babies being baptized simultaneously yesterday morning. The extraordinary volume is perhaps due to the fact that yesterday was also the Feast of the Sto. Nino. The chapel was filled to the brim and solemnity was a bit compromised. Still, I concentrated on praying for Raya: that she grows up to be God fearing, and be a good person.

Prior to the baptismal rites, my mom had told me to rush Raya out of the church immediately after the Christening. It's an old superstition they have that, when there are a lot of babies being baptized at the same time, the baby has to be rushed outside so that s/he will always be first (or not lag behind). So after the ceremony, yaya dashed Raya outside the chapel, then brought her back. That must have been a very, very old-and obscure- superstition, since no one else did it. (At least, I didn't notice any other babies being rushed out of the chapel along with Raya.) I know, it's superstitious nonsense and not part of Christian tradition---still, there is no harm and I found it amusing...!

Mommy Love

2006-01-12T18:04:00.000+13:00

raya before bed, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

God forbid that I turn into one of those parents. You know the kind I'm talking about. The parents so besotted with their kids that they can't stop going on and on about them with every person that they meet. Those who can't wait to show everyone their kids' photos. Not that there is anything wrong with being like that.

But I do admit that I am in love with our Raya. No matter how early she wakes me up, I can't get all huffy or bad tempered---because she always wakes me up with a huge grin on her face. Like she is so excited to be alive. She has a sunny, cheerful disposition 90% of the time. That's why we all get flustered when she cries---because she rarely does.

On the 24th of January, she will be five months old. I've been thinking of going back to the gym ever since the new year came around. I know what you are thinking. What does the gym and Raya have anything to do with each other. The gym and aerobics take a lot of energy and quite a bit of my time (at least 3 hours a day including the drive to and from). This means I would have to sacrifice my time after work to go straight to the gym, work out. When I get home, she will most likely be asleep. I would be missing her smiles, her chatter, and her giggles. I would be missing her company. I spend the whole day at the office, so she spends the day with the Yaya. My only times with her are early morning (she wakes up between 4 and 5am) or late afternoon (she wakes up 4pm and is asleep by 7:30pm).

Raya is growing up so fast, right before my eyes, even. Just two months ago, she only cooed, smiled and stared at everyone. Now she can flip over and has even started to try and get up! Like a little person! She inches backwards using her belly and butt too (a precursor to crawling?) She babbles in different tones---happy, high pitched, excited tones when she sees something new: like when we put on her new shoes and showed her how they squeaked whenever she landed on them; frustrated and whiny tones when we try to get her to sleep and she (thinks she) isn't sleepy yet. Just last night I managed to elicit a stream of giggles from her by juggling a small neon sponge-ball then pretending to drop it on her tummy.

Silly games, but her laughter is reward enough for me to keep acting silly in front of her. Like dancing. I'm an awkward dancer- the nearest I come to dancing is following my aerobic teacher's instructions. But Raya smiles a lot when you dance in front of her, so I do that too. And: she's discovered her tastebuds. I've always made her sit in during meal times, and last week, I finally gave her some broth. Then eggs. Then a drop of pancake syrup. Some siopao sauce when we ate at a Chinese restaurant. She seems to discover worlds when we feed her something new. And she loves to taste everything.

Going back to the gym just about wipes out my time with Raya after work. I suppose I could go thrice a week initially, see how it plays out. That would be a happy compromise, I think.

Here's the other irritating factor contributing to my resolve to go back to my old habits: Acquaintances and distant relatives who keep harping about my current weight. "Ang taba mo" (You are fat!), "Malusog tayo ngayon ah" (Don't we look healthy today.) The latest one being, "Hindi ka ba na-co-conscious sa tiyan mo." (Don't you get conscious of your belly.) That last statement uttered by my mom's friend---someone I see twice a year at most. AND a doctor recently thought that it was she- my mom's friend- who had to have a cyst removed, when it was really my mom! (Her belly was unusually big for her height.)

While I do my best to ignore their comments, they do remind me of my life---my routine---before Raya. While I love my baby girl, I suppose it would not hurt to try to find a balance between work, my time for Raya, and some time for myself. After all, a healthy and balanced mommy will surely benefit my baby best.

P e e v e

2006-01-09T18:28:00.000+13:00

Gas is expensive, so you exchanged your gas guzzler for a more practical model. Maybe a diesel car.

Or you joined the growing number of Pinoys on the road who got a motorcycle instead. Or maybe a scooter. One of those small ones, probably made in China, less than 20K each. They're cheaper to maintain too. And since you mainly need the transport just to get to work everyday: it can save you a significant sum in fuel costs. Not to mention, parking is a little cheaper too.

You probably feel a lot freer in your motorcycle/scooter---your ride's not as big as a car, you can weave in and out of smaller and tighter holes. Still, just because you and your scooter can fit the smaller spaces in between cars, SUVs, buses, and trucks---doesn't mean that you always should. Remember: you're still a motorist. NOT a pedestrian.

SO: Think like a motorist! Not like a pedestrian!

This means that the normal rules of driving on the road applies to you. In fact, for your own safety, you ought to consider applying those rules more stringently.

Take caution, wear protective gear-especially at night! And if you're taking someone with you, make them wear helmets as well. Make sure your ride is well-maintained: equipped with working lights, flashers, horns, and whatever other bells and whistles there are on a scooter.

Use signals. Don't be timid--- Blow Your Horn!---especially if you're overtaking on the wrong (not the driver's side) side. If the space seems too small to squeeze through- even on your motorcycle- then it probably is. Don't take the chance just to save a few seconds. Those seconds could mean the difference between arriving safely to your destination or your broken form being rushed to the nearest hospital.

If you're on the road and you sense a larger vehicle behind you, do veer to the side and let them pass! Imagine if you were the one driving the car/truck/bus, and a puny scooter was straddling the road in front of you, making you slow down and essentially being a drag. Wouldn't that irritate you?

It would be so much easier---and simpler if we had proper bike lanes or scooter lanes. Except we don't. So let's all just deal with it and try to coexist in harmony with all the other vehicles out there.

Doll

2006-01-02T17:54:00.000+13:00

Doll, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

This doll is old- much older than Raya's 17 weeks. Ma (my mother in law) unearthed it and said it used to be one of my sister-in-law's toys when she was young. My sis-in-law is 26. Masinop si Ma, no?
I saw it on New Year's day and decided to open it up. Raya wouldn't take her milk, preferring to play instead. So I took this baby doll and lay Raya beside her: and fed the doll imaginary milk. Then I offered milk to Raya. She ate.

Feet

2005-12-29T16:03:00.000+13:00

IMG_0612, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

Raya has recently begun to notice that her feet are part of her body. It's a challenge to take pictures of her once she starts focusing on her feet. We dress her up, put on her shoes, then get ready to take pictures. Except---her eyes stay downward, and she stares at her feet. We remove the shoes, thinking that perhaps she is just transfixed with those accoutrements. She's not. She's really just fascinated with her feet. Even when her feet are bare and she is lying down on the bed, she would lift her feet up and stare at them for several minutes. I remember that she was this way when she first discovered that her hands were connected to her body, and that she could control them and move them around. Babies are so cute.

Blessings

2005-12-28T02:41:00.000+13:00

Dear Orual,
Read your email earlier. I am so happy for you and so glad to hear that your little girl is healthier and thriving. Not just potty trained, but now stringing words together. I also read about the offer of "regularization" at work. That's great! Lastly, congratulations on having acquired a house (after months of searching!)---and not just a house, but one with fruitbearing trees in the backyard and lots of space for your toddler to run around. You sound excited and happy about the changes that have happened to you since we last spoke: and you should be. Although I know that fixing up a new place has got to be rather hectic, you still sound more at peace, and somehow more rested.

I pray that everything keeps going well for you and your family. It seems that we both have a lot to be thankful for. I know that some things have not been easy for you the past year, and certain events have caused you worry. You have had difficult moments, just like I did. But we were also blessed with really good moments too; as well as life changing opportunities and significant turning points. Some of these we grabbed, the others we let go. No matter how we decided, these were still opportunities presented to us and we were lucky to have them. Most people don't even get those chances. And isn't it funny that the most difficult moments are also the times when we get to know ourselves the most.

A few days ago, my sister and I were talking about how, if we never had the problems that we are now facing (with the business, the loans, and all), we would never have learned all that we now know. It's easy to say, "Oh, but you didn't need to learn it the hard way. You could have learned through research." Ah, but some things are best learned through experience. And there are many things that we don't appreciate learning until we absolutely need to know them. I sound like I'm generalizing---and I probably sound very vague. But only because I am blogging and would not want everyone to know the specifics of what I'm trying to say. But I do know that you know and understand what I am saying. And, I think, so do my close friends and my best friend---who will probably be reading this in Virginia (Hello Dee).

Anyway, see you very soon. At Raya's baptism! I'm not planning anything fancy-schmancy. My objective is just to get Raya baptized and part of the Catholic community before we leave for Welly. Let's trade stories then. You can tell me more about cooking with your husband in your own home, and the fruit trees in your backyard.

Congratulations Again,
Sassafras

Atrasado sa Pag-update

2005-12-22T12:05:00.000+13:00

Atrasado ako sa pag-update ng blog dahil sa wakas ay naglipat na kami ng opisina. Noon ay iba ang planta sa opisina namin. Ngayon, duon na kami sa planta nag-oopisina. Hindi na bumabaha doon kaya nagpasya na kaming maglipat. Tipid din iyon sa tax, utilities, bayad sa security guard, at kung anu-ano pang ibang gastos na kaakibat ng pagkakaroon ng dalawang opisina.
Noong Lunes kami nagsimulang pumasok sa bago naming office. Iisa pa lang ang telepono, inaasikaso pa namin iyong extension at mga dagdag na linya. Samakatuwid, wala pang internet. Malamang, bagong taon na maasikaso iyon. Alam niyo naman pag pumasok na ang holiday season, lumilipad na rin ang isip ng maraming tao at ayaw nang magtrabaho. Marami na ring nagbakasyon ng maaga.

*** **** ****

Naghahanap pa rin ako ng mga kasama para manuod ng King Kong. Ako na lang ata ang di nakakapanood nito. Gusto ko sanang manuod bago mapalitan ng mga Manila Filmfest Entries iyong mga kasalukuyang palabas sa sine.

Christmas Miracle

2005-12-15T12:42:00.000+13:00

I had to buy a bunch of socks and whatnots for my husband and baby. So I trekked to Megamall and made a beeline for the department store booth that sold the brand that my husband preferred. Purchase over in fifteen minutes. I carried my pouch in one hand, a big bag filled with my purchases with the other, and proceeded to the infantwear section on the third floor. A good selection of items were on sale---I was busy picking out the correct size for my baby. I had already picked an armful of clothes and pants for Raya, when I had the sinking realization that my pouch was gone!

I looked around, frantic. Made a mental inventory of the contents of my pouch. I was too lazy to bring my entire bag (ironically, I felt I would lose something if I lugged the entire weight of it with me), so I only brought the absolute essentials. Inside my pouch: credit cards, Dell Axim Palmtop, my 6630, a little cash, and 12 therapy sessions for my DeQuervain's. I got even more scared. I had to find my pouch!

I dashed around the infantwear section, holding back my tears and trying hard to stem the rising panic and desperation. It was the 14th of December. Despite it being a weekday, there were a lot of people in the store. Anybody could have found it already. All I had in my hand was the bag of goods I just bought. I could not even ring my cellphone to find out if my pouch was still in the area.

I hurriedly ruffled through the clothes racks that I had inspected earlier. Maybe my pouch just fell under all those clothes. No dice. Eight racks, two bins, and nearly twenty minutes later, still no pouch. By that time, at least three salesladies were helping me find my pouch. One already went to Lost and Found downstairs to check if anyone had turned it in. I wanted to ring my cellphone to locate the pouch, but it seemed that none of the salesladies had any cellphones with them. (In hindsight, maybe this was a rule for SM sales personnel). I turned to an old lady and begged to use her cellphone, except she didn't have enough load. Finally some luck: a woman about my age offered me the use of her phone.

I dialled my number. It rang---once, twice, thrice: then a voice. Male.
"Sino Ito?", I asked.
"Ito ba ang May-ari ng cellphone?" the guy asked back.
"Oo, ako nga. Nasaan ka?"
"Nasa loob lang ng Megamall. Huwag po kayong mag-alala, sa security po ako. May nakapulot na po ng bag ninyo at na-turnover sa amin."
I still cannot describe the relief I felt when I heard those words. My mind blanked out after that, but I do remember him telling me where to claim my bag. The sales person who initially helped me, Renalyn, accompanied me.

The plainclothes security officer Saldua returned my items to me after carefully logging them in his logbook. Another SM sales personnel, Ms. Corazon Rivera, had found my pouch and turned it over to him. I thanked each of them repeatedly and whispered a prayer of gratitude afterward.

Christmas is indeed a season for miracles. I thank God for the miracle that He granted me yesterday--- the blessing of finding people who helped me- the lady who lent her cellphone, the sales people who- despite the volume of shoppers- still found the energy to help me, the person who found my pouch and returned it, and the security officer who diligently did his job.I'm currently writing a letter of appreciation to honor the people who helped me. I hope that SM holds on to these employees, because we need more people like them. May their tribe increase, and may they be extra blessed in the coming year.

If you can't say anything nice...

2005-12-14T18:22:00.000+13:00

I know it's human nature. I know that there are really some people who are "like that". Still, I wouldn't be human if I were not even the slightest bit affected.

I am talking about those who smile at you, pat your back, and congratulate you when the going is good. The very same people who ignore you, put you down, say "I told you so", and secretly (or even openly) delight in seeing you fall flat on your face.

Is it jealousy? Envy? A sadistic streak?

And it's not limited to acquaintances and people you hardly know. They could be your relatives too. Kin. People you share the same bloodline with. Could be an uncle, an aunt, a cousin. They smile at you when you are successful, but never really celebrate with you. Instead, they quietly seethe in envy and in bitterness at your good fortune. When the tide turns, they utter all the right words when they find out about your misfortunes---but never really empathize nor sincerely commiserate with you. Worse, they might even rub your nose in it. They utter seemingly innocent---but calculated-to-hurt comments and insinuations. Like YOU caused the misfortune, like you wanted it, like you deserved it, like you had it coming to you.

Then you go over your whole history with this friend-or relative- and wonder what you did to deserve such ire, such contempt. Many times, you come up with nothing--- you might even have helped the person in the past. Might even have propped that person and his family up for a season or two.

Sometimes there is just no explanation for such behavior. You chalk it up to experience, and comfort yourself with the thought that now you know who your REAL friends really are. And now you know which among your relatives truly love you, and want the best for you.

If I were ever to find myself at the receiving end of the attentions of such people, I hope to have the presence of mind to say: If you can't say anything nice, or uplifting, or helpful, or constructive: shut up. Keep your unsolicited nasty comments, your forked tongue, and your discouraging remarks to yourself. What are you, a bully---you kick a person when he is already down? You want to draw more blood when a person is already wounded? And you have the nerve to call yourself a Christian. You ought to wash your mouth with soap and do penance for being a hypocrite. Gloating and sneering over others' misfortune....Bah. We don't need your kind in our lives.

DHL

2005-12-14T18:19:00.000+13:00

raya visa, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

These arrived yesterday.

Happy 30th, Daddy!

2005-12-13T23:55:00.000+13:00

happybday, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

Many happy returns to you, daddy! We wish we could be with you on this special day. These smiles, giggles, good thoughts, warm hugs, kisses, and prayers are for you. Please continue to take good care of yourself. Know that we are thinking of you, remembering you, and wishing that we were already together---even though we are still miles apart.

20/20

2005-12-13T20:06:00.000+13:00

The Lasik went okay, I suppose. I'm not blind, and no stray laser beams hit the side of my eye, my face, or anything like that. Less than a day after my Lasik, and I've got 20/20 vision already. At least, that's what the doctor said during my check up this morning.

Cypressonacliff, this is for you.

Here's what happened yesterday before and during the Lasik.

When you get to the clinic, they take a picture of your eye.

Next, they check your eyes again.
You go through 3 or 4 different machines. That's aside from the eye test, and the retinal scan.
The retinal scan is a requirement prior to laser surgery. You can have your retinal scan days before your surgery, but if you are decided on proceeding with the laser treatment, why not just have the retinal scan on the same day? It saves you the parking fee, and it saves you the time. A retinal scan means they dilate your eyes (they use eyedrops to dilate your eyes: this takes around 20 minutes) then they check your retina first with a machine, then the doctor asks you to lie down and manually inspects the sides of your eyes.

The pre-operative process (eye picture taking, checkup, retinal scan) takes around 1 1/2 hours. This includes the twenty minutes they spent dilating your eyes. This is why you have to be at the doctor's 2 1/2 hours before your scheduled surgery.

After all the checks are done and the doctors deem you fit for surgery, they usher you in to the cashier's office. By this time, you will be a little dizzy from the dilating medicine they put on your eye. But just dizzy enough so that you can sign your consent form and your charge sheet. You can pay by credit card, Manager's check, or cash. Lasik at American Eye Center costs P66,800. The retinal scan is a different expense. That one costs P670.00. Sorry, no discounts.

Then comes the operating room. They will provide you a hairnet and "shoe nets" for your feet. You have to wear these before going into the OR. They then usher you into the inner waiting room. There, you will wait along with the 6 or 7 other patients who are also waiting to have their Lasik done. There , you will go through another machine that measures the size of your pupil's dilation.

Then it's your turn. You go into the OR. Another person is just finishing up. You are asked to sit at a corner stool while the other patient is ushered out. They then ask you to lie on the flat bed with the laser machine above your head. The doctor is positioned right behind you, looking down at your eyes.

What happens next is jumbled---I'm inferring from what I saw on the monitor, and what I experienced. The doc tapes up the sides of your eyes---so that you can't blink or close them, presumably. He tapes three sides of your eye (or it feels like he does). Then he cleans your cornea with water and a brush. A really soft brush with thin bristles not unlike your eyelashes. Then he drops some anesthetic in there. Then he take a clamp---a round clamp (or it feels like a round clamp) and puts it around your eyeball. Then everything goes dark (he adjusts something on top of the clamp). Clamp opens again. He says, "Engage". You see a blue light then smell something burning. That's the surface of your eye burning! But don't worry, by that time the anesthetic has done its job and you don't feel anything. The computer will say how many more seconds till the Lasik is done. My left eye only took 16 seconds (I think). The laser had barely started when I heard the computer say, "11 Seconds to Go". I assume it didn't take that long because my left eye only had a grade of 200. My right eye definitely took longer to fix. That one had a grade of 400.

The most important thing you have to do during the entire procedure---from the moment you lie down on the flat bed in the OR--- is to look at the red light. There will be a blinking red light on the machine overhead. Try to keep your focus on it and don't stray. The doctor will be repeating this same reminder over and over, throughout the five-minute procedure. "Red Light; Look at the Red Light".

Yes, each eye only takes a maximum of five minutes to do. The tests take longer than the Lasik. Positioning the eye takes longer than the Lasik.

After your surgery, you will not be able to see anything initially. Because they will cover your eyes. But 5 or 10 minutes later, they will remove the covering. You will be asked to open your eyes so that they can check it. They will want to check if the flap closed right, and if everything seems in order. If you are okay, then you can go home. This is the time when they ask you if you have a companion with you. You won't feel like opening your eyes at this point so it would be a smart--- and almost necessary to have a companion with you. The nurses/docs will give your companion more eyedrops: one is an anti-inflammatory, one is a "natural tears" dropper, and the third is an antibiotic, along with instructions on when the medicines will need to be applied.

For the next 3 or 4 hours after the operation, your eyes will sting and will be extra sensitive to light. Take paracetamol and get some sleep to rest your eyes. I got my Lasik at 2:50pm approximately. We were home by 3:30pm. I ate a sandwich, then took a Paracetamol laced with a something to help me sleep (Tylenol 'for night'). When I woke up at 7pm, my eyes did not sting as much and much of the discomfort was over.

Other reminders. Bring a dark colored handkerchief or towel to cover your eyes with when going home. Also, bring a jacket and wear it before going into OR---it is extra cold in the surgery room. Take a bath before your surgery, you can't wet your face in the hours after the procedure. It is only in the next morning when you can take a bath or wash your face. Even then, you must take extra care not to splash water in your eye. Also, no matter how much your eye stings, you cannot squeeze it extra tightly. This might damage your still-sensitive corneas.

At present, there are only three laser centers that I am aware of. This one-American Eye Center- is located at Shangrila Edsa Mall, 5F. The other one---Asian Eye Center is located somewhere inside the Rockwell premises in Makati. I am told that if you are an ABSCBN employee or if you hold a Citibank Visa, you can get a hefty discount from Asian Eye. (Compared the American eye Center, Asian Eye charges more--- 15 to 20% more.) The other eye center I just read about at the Inquirer this morning --- Makati Eye Center has the cheapest rates at P45,000. I've never heard of this last one, though. The 45K they charge is a promo price and is only available till December 20. If you are contemplating eye surgery, you might also want to check them out.

Lasik

2005-12-12T15:00:00.000+13:00

Two and a half hours before my Lasik procedure.
Kapag may nangyari sa mata ko, alam niyo na kung sino ang may sala: Ang American Eye Center.
But I am not so worried. I am looking forward to not having to wash my eyeglasses every so often. Not having to wear any glasses or contacts. Not buying more soft lenses every few months. Not buying any more contact lens solution.
I requested Dr. Jack Arroyo to do the procedure, upon the recommendation of my friend (also an eye doctor).
Okay...wish me luck! :)

Magkano ang dangal mo?

2005-12-07T15:31:00.000+13:00

May nasira sa planta noong isang araw kaya tinawag namin ang suki naming electrician. Ginawa niya ang sira. Palabas na siya ng gate, naisipan ng guwardiya na tingnan ang mga gamit na dala niya sa kanyang jeep. Naroon sa may harapan, sa gitna ng hita ng electrician, ang tanso. Mahal ang tanso. Tinutunaw ito at ginagamit muli. Sa labas, nabibili ito por kilo.

Naroon ang tanso na galing sa wiring sa loob ng planta. Tinatabig-tabig pa ng electrician, umaasa sigurong di ito mapapansin. Sinita siya ng guwardiya, pinuna ang tanso. Huwag ka nalang maingay, sabi ng electrician. Ibalik mo iyan, sabi ng guwardiya. Inistsa ng electrician ang tanso sa labas ng sasakyan sabay alis.

Ngayong umaga, nagtungo ang electrician sa opisina namin para maningil ng balance niya para sa repair. Iba na ang kuwento niya. May naglagay daw ng tanso sa jeep niya. Hindi niya daw alam na nandoon iyon. Kung wala na raw kaming tiwala sa kanya, bayaran nalang daw namin ang balanse niya at di na siya babalik. Matagal na raw siyang nagtatrabaho para sa amin, bakit daw kami maniniwala kaagad.

Ang hirap kasi, huling huli na, lumulusot pa. At gusto ka pang gawing tanga. Siya pa ang magmamalaki na para bang siya lang ang electrician sa mundo.

****************

Absent ng buong Oktubre ang secretary namin. May sakit daw. Isa siya sa pinaka-pinagkakatiwalaan namin dito sa opisina. Nagsimula ang Nobyembre. Wala pa rin ang secretary. Pinapunta pa nga ang tiyahin niya sa amin, hihiram daw ng pera pampagamot. Dalawang araw makalipas nun, heto na ang masamang balita. Kuwento ng truck driver namin, nakita raw niya ang secretary namin na nag-aahente para sa supplier namin.
Huh?! Ang secretary ko? Ang taong mahigit na sampung taon nang nagtatrabaho para sa amin--- iyong taong pinagkatiwalaan kong ituro ang mga nalalaman namin tungkol sa pag-trade, tungkol sa mga suppliers at tungkol sa kung sinu-sinong kliyente ang magandang magbayad, kung sinong kliyente ang mahirap kausap... Trinaydor kami ng secretary namin?!

Di pa tapos ang kuwento. Sinulot at sinusulot pa rin ng secretary ang mga kliyente namin. Itinira ang mga matatagal magbayad, inuna ang mabibilis magbayad at mga kayang magbayad ng cash. Noong una, nagte-text pa siya sa amin at itinatanggi ang ginawa---loyal daw siya sa amin. Kung wala sanang kliyente na umamin na nakakuha ng produkto sa kanya... produkto na hindi sa amin kinuha. Sabi pa raw ni loyal secretary sa kanya, hindi na raw siya konektado sa kumpanya namin. Paanong hindi konektado, sagot ko---eh kaka-vale lang niya ah! Hindi naman bale na lumipat siya ng opisina, pero hindi niya dapat pinakialaman ang mga customer namin.

Pagkatapos umamin ni Client A, nag-research pa ako ng ilang kliyente--- kung sino pa kaya ang sinulot ng dakila kong secretary. Mabilis ang balita---katatawag ko pa lang kay Client X, nagtext na ang secretary sa amin: ano daw ba ang gustong palabasin, hindi na lang daw siya papasok dahil wala na rin raw tiwala sa kanya. Bakit ni hindi daw siya kinausap at tinanong. Ang ganda ng dialogue niya, kaya lang---paano siyang kakausapin, hindi nga siya pumapasok. Ano ang posibleng dahilan para magsinungaling si Client A sa amin? Gusto pa ata kaming baliktarin ng sekretaryang ito.

Matapos mangyari ito, lumapit ang isa pa naming secretary sa akin. May natandaan siyang sinabi ni loyal secretary sa kanya ilang buwan na ang nakakaraan. Inalok daw siyang magsarili sila, siya daw ang mag-aahente at si loyal secretary ang mag-s-supply ng produkto. Akala daw niya nagbibiro lang kaya hindi niya pinansin. Ngayon lang daw niya natandaan dahil isa siya sa mga sinisisi at inaakusahan ni loyal secretary na nagsumbong sa amin tungkol sa kataksilan niya.

****************

May backload ang driver namin noong isang araw. Binalik daw ni Client P. July pa dineliver ang goods, pero Disyembre lang ibinalik. Sobrang tumal siguro. Pumangit na ang goods, kalahati na lang ang value nito. Oo daw.

Tumawag ngayon ang collector. Nasa kina Client P siya, naniningil ng bagong pautang. Gusto ni client P na iawas sa bagong utang niya ang value ng ibinalik na goods. Ayaw raw pumayag si P na kalahati na lang ang value ng goods. Hindi daw nila kasalanang pangit na ang goods dahil Pangit na daw ito noong dinala sa kanila nung July.

Apat na beses isang linggo kung dumaan ang mga truck namin sa tindahan ni Client P. Kung pangit talaga ang goods, bakit ang tagal bago ibinalik? Sa mahigit na labinlimang taon naming kliyente si Client P, ni isang beses, hindi kami tumanggi na palitan ang goods kapag inireklamo niyang pangit o may diprensiya. Conclusion: ayaw niya lang ng valuation ng goods. Pero kasalanan ko ba kung hindi nila na-dispose ang items at naghintay sila ng matagal para ibalik ito? Nag-deteriorate tuloy ng husto.

Heto Na

2005-12-02T16:36:00.000+13:00

From Our NZIS Visa Officer:

The payment is now completed.

You can visit the INZ Wellington Branch from tomorrow to have the
residence permit endorsed on your passport.

The file will be e-transferred back to the Bangkok Branch and as soon
as I receive your partner's and child's passports, I will issue them the
residence visa and return the passports to the address in the
Philippines.

I will let you know the DHL tracking number.

Ibang klase rin ang mga visa officers ng New Zealand Immigration Service. Siguro nga ay welcome na welcome ang mga immigrants duon. Karamihan sa kanila ay mababait kausap, matulungin, at accomodating. Kapag may tanong ka, mag-email ka lang at tiyak na sasagutin ka. At least, ito ang naging experience namin sa pag-apply for residency. Palagay ko hindi lang sampung email ang naisulat namin sa mga officers nila: mga email na puno ng kung anu-anong tanong. Minsan, tingi-tingi pa ang tanong namin. Pag may naisipang tanong, gagawa ng maikling liham tapos padala. Mabilis din naman sumagot. Kaya ko naman nasabing accomodating ay dahil hindi sila iyong nakapako sa mga rules na nakasaad sa guidebook nila. May discretion silang gumamit ng sarili nilang judgment para magpasya sa kaso mo, at nang naaayon sa partikular na pangangailangan mo.

Halimbawa nalang iyong asawa ko. Kumuha kasi muna siya ng work visa bago mag-apply ng permanent residency visa. Halos magkasunod lang siyang nag-apply para duon sa dalawa. Requirement ang medical examination sa work visa at sa PR visa. Anlagay namang kumuha siya ng medicals ng dalawang beses within the same time frame? (magpapa-xray siya ulit?!) Di naman yata magiging mabuti iyon sa kalusugan niya.

Ipinaliwanag niya ang sitwasyon sa visa officer at pinayagan siyang mag-submit ng certified true copy ng medical exam results niya (dapat kasi originals lang ang tinatanggap). Hindi ko mapigilang maisip na kung dito siguro iyon, kung ano lang ang nakasulat, iyon lang ang puwede. Forget about using one's own judgment, or deciding a course of action according to the officer's discretion.

Naka-chat ko ang asawa ko kaninang umaga (umaga sa atin, tanghali sa kanila). Sumaglit pala siya sa NZIS Wellington office. Nakuha niya na ang Returning Resident's Visa niya, pati na rin Resident Permit. Tinanong ko kung may binayad pa ba siya, may hassle pa bang iba bago makuha. Wala naman daw: In and out, tapos ang kuwento---nakabalik pa siya sa opisina para magtrabaho ulit. Ang saya ng walang red tape.

Hep...hep...hep...Teka Lang!

2005-12-01T15:38:00.000+13:00

Teka teka lang... mga kaibigan ko :) Hindi pa naman kami aalis. Huwag kayong malungkot! I felt the need to post this followup because my bland entry earned a poignant email from my barkada and dear friend L, and also a heartfelt comment from another dear friend Charchar. (Bestfriend D siyempre kasama ka sa mensahe sa baba.)

Anyway. Di pa kami aalis, noh!
Next year pa, mga May ang tantiya ko. (Or at the latest---payo kasi sa akin, huwag na huwag paaabutin na naglalakad na si Raya ko bago kami umalis. Doubly challenging daw ang trip kapag may toddler kang kasama---versus a "baby" who is dependent on you for her mobility.)

Nag-eempake kami dahil marami-raming damit at gamit ang dapat ipadala, kaya tama lang na unti-untiing ligpitin para mabawasan ang gulo at kalat sa bahay. Isa pa, ISANG BUWAN ang ocean freight: kapag pinadala ko iyon ng Marso, Abril pa ang dating...kaya dapat ring advance ang padala ng gamit. My goal: to ship out most of our stuff in advance so that by the time we are ready to leave, we will be well within the 40kg/person baggage allowance for immigrants. Mahirap ang maraming bitbit kung mag-aalaga ka pa ng bata. Si Raya ang priority ko, syempre.

Para sa mga mahal kong mga kaibigan (lalo na si L na touched na touched ako sa sulat niya): palagi namang may internet! Huwag kang masyadong malungkot at andiyan pa rin naman ako. Salamat sa YM, MSN, at Skype: webcam at mikropono lang, puwede na tayong magchikahan! Alam kong mahaba, malalim, at matatag ang pinagsamahan natin kaya kahit distansiya, hindi ito mabubuwag. Iyon nga lang, hindi na pupuwede na isang tawag lang ay magkikita na tayo over coffee sa Eastwood o Megamall.

Gagawin ko pa rin ang lahat sa abot ng aking makakakaya para maibahagi ang buhay ko sa inyo sa pamamagitan ng emails at lalong lalo na nitong blog ko. Alam ko rin kasi na mahirap kung matagal na di tayo nakakapag-usap--- parang andaming nangyayari sa isa't isa na nalalagpasan natin: minsan tuloy parang mahirap humabol.

Still, beyond all that the one true thing we share is our friendship and our love for each other. Kayo ang itinuturing kong mga kaibigan kong tunay at totoo. (you know who you are)
Nakita at nakilala ninyo ako noong wala kami, hanggang sa meron na kami, at muli wala na naman---hindi kayo nagbago at ganoon pa rin kayo. Narinig at nakinig kayo sa mga problema ko, mga katangahan ko, at mga kadramahan sa buhay: hindi kayo nanghusga. Kahit hindi niyo palaging nagustuhan o sinang-ayunan ang ilang ginawa ko ay nandoon pa rin ang suporta ninyo.

Ano pa ang mahihiling ko? Ang pagkakaibigan natin ay isa sa ipinagpapasalamat ko sa Maykapal tuwina. Itinuturing kong isang himala na nakatagpo ako ng mga kaibigang tulad ninyo. Iilan lamang kayo mula highschool, kolehiyo at mula sa Tsinoy na naging tunay na kapalagayang loob ko pero bawat isa sa inyo ay pinapahalagahan ko. I just hope I have done an adequate job of letting you feel and know that you are important in my life. Sana lang, kahit wala ako sa Manila at hindi ako magiging within gimmick distance, huwag kayong magsawang magkuwento kahit sa email lang. Huwag kayong mahihiya at huwag na huwag isiping nakakaistorbo kayo!!! Kasi kung kayo ang "iistorbo" sa akin, ipagbubunyi ko pa ito.

Kaya lang huwag sana kayong magtampo kung hindi ako laging nakakasagot agad. Baka may krisis din akong kinakaharap, o baka pagod ako kaaalaga ng bata, o baka iniisip ko pa ang isinulat niyo. Minsan naman baka feeling ko ay napaglipasan na ng mga pangyayari ang dapat na isasagot ko, kaya tahimik nalang ako. (translated: events have overtaken my reply thus rendering it moot---Sa ganitong pagkakataon kung gusto niyo talagang malaman ang .02cents worth ng opinyon ko, tanungin niyo lang ulit sa akin.) Pero hindi ibig sabihing hindi ko kayo narinig, o wala akong pakialam. May pakialam ako siyempre: kaibigan ko kayo no! Bawal ang tampo ha, kung akala ninyo na ako naman ang may tampo o galit sa inyo: tanungin niyo muna ako. (malamang hindi ito totoo, busy lang ako sa peculiarities ng buhay namin.)

Humaba na tuloy ang dapat ay "maikling mensahe" para sa inyo... see you soon. Sigurado akong magkikita pa tayo bago kami lumipad ni Raya. (Saka hindi naman ako papayag na hindi... :) )

Balita #2

2005-11-29T19:10:00.000+13:00

Another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place. Got word last Friday that our Permanent Residency application has been "Approved in Principle". It was a lengthy email, but basically it said we had to pay the migrant levy ($660 for the three of us) so that our visas could be processed already. And send our passports to their Bangkok office to get stamped. Kung alam ko lang na kailangan ding ipadala iyong original passport sa Bangkok, umpisa pa lang ay iyon na sana ang ipinadala ko at hindi iyong certified true copy lang. Doble doble tuloy ang postage fee.

*** *** ***

My husband is getting into his groove in Wellington. The first "big" thing he bought: a car seat for our daughter. Bawal daw kasing hindi mag-seatbelt dun, kahit na sa likod ka nakaupo. Children 6 years and below are required to be in carseats for their own safety. Medyo nakakatawa rin--- kasi ni wala pa nga siyang sasakyan tapos may carseat na. Obvious talagang miss na miss niya na si Raya. At ayon sa blog niya....second runner up lang ang beauty ko sa listahan ng mga nami-miss niya.

Pero hindi bale. Lagi ko namang baon ang sinabi niya sa akin bago siya umalis- mami-miss daw niya ang mga magulang at kapatid niya, pero ako daw ay hahanap-hanapin niya. Naks. Sweet talaga ang asawa ko. Konti lang may alam nun- palabiro kasi iyon at palagi na lang nang-aalaska.

*** *** ***

Yesterday, I filled up the second "alisbayan" box and filled half of the third one. Items inside the boxes thus far: new clothes for my husband, towels, two comforters, some baby to toddler clothes, shoes. I have yet to pack our wedding albums, my books, his techie manuals and books, our pictures, and our wedding gifts. Nakakapanghinayan namang iwan iyong Oneida silverware na regalo sa amin. Pati na iyong mga small appliances na ni hindi pa nabubuksan--- rice cooker, turbo broiler, coffee maker, oven toaster, electric grill--- imbis na bumili pa doon, padadala ko na lang rin ang mga ito. Sana lang hindi kami ma-tax: personal items naman ito, at hindi naman inenegosyo.

Iniisip ko pa rin kung dito nalang ba ako bibili ng mga gamit pambahay, kasama na furniture, o kung doon na lang. Iyong iba kasing pinoy na nauna na sa NZ, dinala ang mga kagamitan at muebles nila. Pati bisikleta ng mga anak, dinala. Nakapuno siya ng 20 foot container van at nagbayad ng NZ$5,000.00 para sa shipping. Sa kuwentada niya, mas mura pa din daw lalabas kapag dinala niya ang mga gamit nilang mag-anak kesa ang replacement cost ng mga ito. Eh kami namang mag-asawa, walang maraming kagamitan- yung mga regalo lang sa amin na maliliit na appliances. Worth it pa din kayang bumili dito tapos ipadala dun? Or after shipping costs, pareho nalang ang presyo ng item duon?

May Dagdag Rant Pa

2005-11-24T17:21:00.000+13:00

This is in response to a comment from one friend, saying that we should not be too hard on the government. And that we gotta love this country, because at the end of the day, our education and work experience here has made us globally competitive.

It's difficult not to be "hard on the government". Siguro rin kasi, fresh pa sa isipan ko ang kuwento ng aking asawa tungkol sa naranasan at nakita niya sa POEA.

Tulad nalang nung kasabayan niyang nagtungo din sa POEA to get his OFW card. Papuntang middle east yung guy, $350/month ang susuwelduhin. Galing pang probinsya yung mama, naka-shorts lang kaya siguro napagtripan. Na-overhear ng asawa ko na nakikiusap siya sa personnel sa counter na kung puwede ay paspasan na iyong papeles niya kasi nakakailang balik na daw siya at naka-sked siyang umuwi that afternoon.

Sabi nung tao sa POEA counter "Eh di umuwi ka, sino bang pumipigil sa iyo." So sabi nung guy, eh kasi taga probinsiya pa po ako at wala akong kilalang matutuluyan sa Maynila. Kung matapos po ng maaga gusto ko sana magpahinga muna bago ako bumiyahe mamaya.

Sabi ulit nung babae sa counter, "ayan o, (sabay turo sa mga bench sa labas ng POEA) andaming bakante, dyan ka magpahinga. kung gusto mo magdamag diyan ka pa". The guy just stood there, swallowing the girl's scorn. After that, my husband could hear him muttering curses. Kausap niya na asawa ko nagmumura pa din siya sa galit.

I don't blame the guy... he goes there to register because it is required, he has to payUS$125.00 AND be humiliated. Hindi pa nga siya nakakaalis, baon na siya sa utang...dadagdag pa iyong POEA sa listahan ng ipang-uutang niya. The least POEA personnel can do is treat everyone with respect. Akala ko ba "bagong bayani" ang mga OFW. (according to one of the links I posted
below, 32% of our GNP comes from OFW remittances. And 8 billion pinoys currently work overseas. That's a whopping 10% of our population. Big business sa gobyerno ang pag-export ng tao...!)

If the POEA truly wanted to help, they would conduct their seminars for OFWs and CFOs for free. They wouldn't charge $125 per OFW. (At mahina pa raw ang aircon sa POEA. Pagdating nga ng asawa ko wala pang aircon, later in the day nalang binuksan. Nagtitipid daw kasi ang gobyerno. My comment----magtipid sila, pero wag na nilang tipirin ang OFWs na nagbabayad naman at nagtitiis pumila kahit parang sardinas sila sa dami.) I don't even know what the OFW card is for. Alam ko lang, affiliated ito with Equitable Bank and Visa. I suppose that OFW card is also a charge card... other than that, I don't know what it's for.

As for the POEA seminar, heto ulit ang dalawang link for everybody's perusal. (I have pointed to these links in my previous post, but since this is an important topic, I am posting it again and hoping someone who can do something about it will hear and see it, and give it due attention.)
Heto siguro ang isang dapat na topic ng seminars nila---para sa proteksyon ng mga OFWs natin. Except, I do not know if they even touched on this issue. I doubt it, because when I mentioned it to my husband, he was not even aware of what I was talking about.

Part of one link below talks about "bait and switch": a person signs up to work in Dubai, when he gets there he finds out his contract has been bought by another contractor and he is forced to work in Iraq....
http://www.gnn.tv/articles/1745/Blood_Sweat_Tears
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6100244/newsweek/
I know that if such a thing as "Bait and switch" happened to my husband abroad, he would not be so easily intimidated into working for a contract other than what he signed for. He is educated, has good command of the English language, has enough savings to buy a one-way ticket headed for home. He can take care of himself. What of other OFW's who are not as savvy, those who are easily intimidated and have no other means of getting home? Does the POEA have an action plan for them?

As for our education and work experience here making us globally competitive, I would say that this is DESPITE the government, and not because of the government that we have.

Beggin to Disagree

2005-11-23T17:03:00.000+13:00

Here are some sweeping generalizations about Overseas Pinoy Workers that just plain piss me off. Maybe these are borne of ignorance, made from the point of view of people who have never had to even contemplate the idea of working abroad to support their families.

1) The Filipino worker has little or no confidence in himself, thus he prostitutes himself to the foreigner.

Rejoinder : The Filipino knows exactly how much his sweat and toil is worth. That’s why he knows when he is taken advantage of. Do you blame him if he chooses to get taken advantage of-- for a higher price-- in a foreign land? Besides, not all Filipino workers are undervalued. Certain countries hire Pinoys and actually pay them salaries at par with their local counterparts. Thus, we could say that some Filipinos believe that their talents are worth more than local employers here are paying them for, thus they seek employers who will truly value their worth and pay them accordingly.

2) In working abroad, our educated professionals degrade themselves using the poor excuse of “practicality” and “survival”.

Reply: Again, a sweeping statement. Not all our overseas workers take jobs that they are overqualified for. Sadly, a growing number of our people have left for increasingly technical jobs abroad-- lawyers, doctors, microbiologists, veterinarians, accountants, IT specialists, engineers. Majority of them are now earning their financial rewards abroad. And even if a sector of them are underemployed: if they are earning salaries at par with their local counterparts, can we blame them for taking on such jobs if our country cannot sustain them?

Besides, why are “survival” and “practicality” poor “excuses” for working abroad? I would call these valid reasons for taking such an extreme and difficult journey. It is no picnic to be away from home and family, and a great deal of physical, emotional, and also financial (at least at the start) sacrifice is entailed.

This article, along with this one, got me thinking about the plight of our overseas Filipino workers. They are everywhere and steadily growing. And they are not just doing blue collar work anymore. There’s the problem, and there’s the difference. Even bankers are being pirated for work abroad. Same for accountants, x-ray technicians, botanists, farm managers…those with special skills and training peculiar to their fields of expertise. And everyone already knows about our nurses and teachers going to work abroad.

My question: how long will it be government "policy" to prop up the economy on OFW's backs? How soon before the majority of professionals left working here in the Philippines are those who are new graduates, those with half baked skills, or those who lack experience, expertise, and know-how? And what about the social cost of workers being separated from their loved ones? This phenomenon might be a short term solution, but it can only harm the country in the long run.

Here's something more to think about.

My Little Fashionista

2005-11-21T20:03:00.000+13:00

4 in 1, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

Ang sarap talagang bihisan ang mga baby girls. Napadpad ako noong linggo sa isang bazaar malapit sa bahay namin. Wala naman akong balak bumili ng kahit na ano, pero hindi ko napigilan ang sarili ko nang makita ko ang mga damit na ito. Ang mga bestida ay singkuwenta pesos lang! Tama--- P50 bawat isa, at may terno pang pantalon. Kapag lumaki na si baby, puwede niya pa ring blouse ang mga ito, sabay suot na ng pantalon o palda na terno nga mga ito. Ang bathing suit sa bottom right ay galing namin sa Surplus Shop--- tanda ko ay P99 naman ito.

Pambihira...

2005-11-18T20:40:00.000+13:00

Ows?, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

This smirk is heartily dedicated to Orange and Lemons... ang bandang gumawa ng kantang "Pinoy Ako". Bilib na sana lalo na asawa ko: kaya lang, hindi pala 100% orig ang kanta. Bingi na lang (o nagbibingi-bingihan) ang magsasabing hindi hinango ang kantang ito sa "Chandeliers" ng New Wave band na The Care.

Mabuti sana kung may pagpapakumbaba ang grupo, kung inaamin nila at nagpapasalamat sila sa pagpapahiram ng The Care sa kanila ng malaking bahagi ng melody at arrangement ng awitin. Pero hindi eh. Nakakawala ng respeto tuloy.

Kamakailan lang nasa isang tindahan ako, nang biglang may magpatugtog ng isang OPM na awitin. Tunog Banda. Heto narinig kong usapan sa pagitan ng 2 mamimili:
Girl - Sinong kumanta niyan? Maganda Ah.
Boy - Oo nga, Maganda Nga. Sugarfree ata.
Girl - Sugarfree? Talaga? Galing sila ah. Orig kaya yan?
Boy- Oo no, orig yan. Ay mali- di pala Sugarfree. Orange and Lemons kumanta nyan.
Girl - Talaga? Orange and Lemons? May originality pala sila?

Masisisi ko ba sila? Naturingan pa naman silang musikero, pero bakit hindi nila iginalang ang akda ng ibang tao? Asan na ang respeto nila?

Google lang ang Katapat

2005-11-17T18:41:00.000+13:00

Something happens and we say that we sympathize, but we can't truly know how it is to be in that person's shoes until it happens to us.
Take being taken for a ride by a plagiarist.
We could perhaps sympathize with a victim on an intellectual level, but until we become ---or in my case, nearly become victims, then we won't understand how disgusting and insulting it feels to be fooled.
I bloghopped somewhere on the blogosphere today and was darn impressed with a blogger's writing prowess. The narrative part toward the middle of his entry was what raised my suspicions...the example was Western, but the writer was Asian and resides in Asia.
And so I cut and paste a portion of that blog entry and googled. Sure enough, 95% of the entry was copy pasted. No credit was made to the original writer.
I do not know if they still teach this in school, but even if they did not, common decency and respect for others dictates that a person give credit where and to whom it is due.
If a person can copy paste an article, he can surely devote a few more seconds acknowledging the author of the piece. It is only right.

Balita

2005-11-17T14:40:00.000+13:00

Sa awa ng Diyos, matiwasay na nakarating ang asawa ko sa Wellington noong Linggo. Ang una niyang komento: parang naka-super cool na aircon daw ang panahon doon. Windy raw at malamig. Baguio meets Makati, sabi niya.

Ilang kapwa Pinoy ang sumundo sa kanya. Dito ka naman bibilib sa ugaling Pinoy...sa internet lang namin nakilala ang mga sumundo sa kanya, pero nagmagandang loob ang isa na kupkupin siyang pansamantala; nagmagandang loob naman iyong isa pa na maki-share ng apartment para sa mas mababang halaga. Bayanihan? Sinabi mo pa! :)

Siyempre pa, pagod sa biyahe ang asawa ko pero chat agad ang inatupag. "Salamat Flatmate" muli ang istorya niya---nakahiram ng laptop sa mag-asawa na kasambahay niya, tapos nag YM agad. Siyempre ako, naka online at nag-aabang: bakasakaling mag-online din siya. Buti naman at di nasayang ang pag-aabang ko. Susunod na kuwento niya: ang mahal daw ng Neutrogena! Sa atin daw nasa P200 lang. Doon daw NZ$8.00 ang bili niya. Ang sagot ko: Anlagay naman umuwi ka pa dito para lang sa sabon?! Sabay payo na huwag nalang convert nang convert lalo na at mga necessity naman ang binibili niya. Ang report niya sa akin kahapon: ang mahal din daw ng nailcutter- NZ$7.00 ang isa. Tanong tuloy ng mother-in-law ko, padadalhan ko daw ba ng sabon, toothpaste, atbp ang asawa ko sa balikbayan box. Sagot ko: pagkatapos i-add ang abala, freight cost, at waiting time: pareho na din halos ang gagastusin kaya duon nalang siya bumili. Pero mga damit, underwear, medyas, bedsheet, pillowcase: yan ang mga unti unti ko nang iniipon sa balikbayan box.

Isang araw matapos siyang dumating duon, nagkachat kaming muli. Nalulungkot pa rin daw siya at pinanghihinaan ng loob (medyo). Bagamat nalulungkot din ako nun, at syempre nami-miss ko siya, sabi ko sa kanya "Masyado pang maaga para panghinaan ka nang loob!" Masuwerte nga siya at pumunta siya doon na may nakahanda nang trabaho para sa kanya. Natural, "overwhelming" sa dami ng adjustment kapag bagong salta sa isang lugar. Kailangan lang bigyan ang sarili ng allowance na manibago, makiramdam, at makibagay sa bagong kapaligiran.

Isang araw muli ang dumaan. Nakausap ko siya sa telepono. May phone card na siya! Nag-email din siya. Laki ng ngiti ko nang mabasa ko... "Had lunch at the docks, I'm starting to love it here...ang ganda". Haaaay salamat. Malulungkot at mag-aalala akong di hamak kapag nalaman kong miserable siya doon. For now, masaya ako na unti-unti ay nag-aadjust ang aking asawa. Ang takot at pagod niya, napapalitan na ng excitement, curiousity, at panibagong "gana". Nangungulila pa rin siya sa amin, pero at least di na siya lumuluha sa lungkot.

Hang in there, daddy. Andito lang kami sa likod mo. Prepare our place, next year andiyan na rin kami :)

Shipping Hoo-hah

2005-11-12T21:12:00.000+13:00

My mother in law, brother in law, and I sent off my husband at the airport a few hours ago. There were plenty of tears but I made sure that very little of those came from me. I wanted to send him off with a smile, a kiss, and loads of courage for the journey. Seeing me looking desolate might only increase his anxiety and sadness at leaving.

We spent the past 3 to 4 days packing and making travel arrangements for him. Since he only holds a work visa, his baggage allowance was only 20 kgs. I had nagged him about packing a little at a time since a few weeks back, but instead he put off packing until the very last minute. His reasons: he had few possesions, and my seeing him pack would only make me sad. Result: his clothes, shoes, and other personal items would not fit in the one piece of luggage that we bought for him earlier. So instead of enjoying each other's company and visiting relatives, we had to buy another piece of luggage, and continue packing. After which we realized that the weight of his personal items far exceeded the 20 kilos alloted for him. We then spent hours categorizing them into which ones were going into the box for airfreighting, and which ones could be sent by sea. I spent most of last Wednesday on the phone, alternatively following up on our request for additional baggage allowance on Air NZ and searching for a way to send him most of his personal items quickly and at reasonable rates.

Here's what I learned:
1) Getting To Wellington. There are at least two ways to get to Wellington from Manila. He could take Qantas or AirNewZealand via PAL.

If he takes Air NZ, he would have to take Philippine Airlines to Hongkong, then transfer to an AirNZ plane because AirNZ has no flights from Manila. Travel time is longer because he has to make two transfers instead of just one. The one way trip costs less than flying via Qantas.

If he takes Qantas, the travel time is shorter by several hours. There's one less stop at airports for transfers. The one way trip to Wlg costs 50USD more.

Upon the advise of our travel agent, we took the AirNZ route because (a) it was obviously cheaper and (b) our travel agent intended to request additional baggage allowance for my husband, and AirNZ was more likely to grant it than Qantas (according to her, Qantas flights are booked more quickly so they were more likely to have fewer cargo space and therefore less likely to allow any additional allowance.)

After deciding on the AirNZ route, we went to work packing his belongings. When we found out that they would exceed 20 kilos, we researched how we could possibly bring his items to Wellington faster and cheaper.

2) About Baggage.

Excess Baggage charges is different from Unaccompanied Baggage charges.

If the weight of your baggage exceeds the airline's allowable limit, you have to pay charges per kilo on the extra. That's excess baggage charges. Charges vary depending on which airline you choose. Comparing Qantas and AirNZ: Qantas charges between 10 and 40 AUD per kilo for excess baggage. AirNZ charges $177HKD per kilo for excess baggage from Hongkong to Wellington. Philippine Airlines charges $4US for the Manila-HK route. If my husband had too many excess kilos, he could end up paying AirNZ HK$177 + US$4 per kilogram. That's a whopping P1,450.+ per kilo.

That's how we found the unaccompanied baggage option. You could choose to send your baggage ahead of you either a day or two before your trip, or on the day of your trip. The airline puts your luggage on any one of their flights to your destination so your luggage gets there on or about the same day as you do, or even earlier than you do(if you sent your baggage earlier). This is their Unaccompanied Baggage Service, available only if you use their airline to fly. If you know your luggage will surely exceed their weight limit, choosing to send the excess using the unaccompanied baggage route could be cheaper.
To give you an example, for cargo weighing 44kgs and below, Qantas charges USD8.32/kg (P450+/kg) for unaccompanied baggage from Manila to Wellington. For 45 kgs and over, Qantas Unaccompanied Baggage Service costs $6.26/kg. For both, add the following: .05/kg fuel surcharge + $10 (I forgot for what) + $2 (Again, I forgot for what).

I contacted AirNZ's satellite office here in Manila to inquire if they had Unaccompanied Baggage services just like Qantas does. They do not, since the Manila office is only a satellite office. I was advised to ask Philippine Airlines how I was going to get the additional luggage to Wellington. Someone from the Philippine Airlines cargo section said that he would have to check if PAL and ANZ had an interline agreement so that my cargo could be transferred from Hongkong to the AirNZ plane. It sounded like the person was unsure of the details of what he was saying, so we decided to look for another way.

3) Air Freighting.
We called Qantas Freight again. They're the ones who handle cargo, including unaccompanied baggage services. We were told that if we were not flying via Qantas, we would not be eligible for that service. They advised us to contact a forwarder instead. I asked them if they knew of any, and they suggested Rapid Inc.

Here's what we found out:
We CAN ship our cargo via ANZ. For cargo 45kgs and above, airfreight charges are US$2.75/kg + $.55/kg (fuel surcharge)+ .15/kg(I forgot what for). Total: $3.45/kg + a fixed documentation and handling charge of $60.00. Your cargo will arrive within a day or two at its destination. Pickup point for my cargo: Wellington Airport.

We can also ship the cargo via Qantas Freight. For cargo 45 kgs and above, it turns out cheaper at US$3/kg (all in) + the $60 documentation and handling fee. Again, the cargo will arrive within a day or two at its destination. Pickup point: Wellington Airport, Qantas desk.

4) Cheaper Shipping Option: Ocean Freight.
We are set to try this one too. Thus far, all I know is that shipping charge for cargo is per cubic meter (1 meter= 39.37 inches= 3.28 feet), not per kilogram. Shipping costs vary between ocean cargo handlers. I have heard quotes from P18,000/cubicmeter to P24,000/cubic meter. Arrival at the destination port is approximately one month. (Obviously, if you need your items at once, you cannot use this option. But if you can wait, you could save a lot of money choosing to ship via this route.)

There's no "best method" to choose in shipping your cargo. It all depends on how heavy your items are, how bulky they are, and when you need them to be there. Only then can you determine which among the shipping options above would be most suited for you.

Bago ang Lahat.

2005-11-07T20:39:00.000+13:00

Bago ang lahat, isang masayang HELLO sabay ngiti kay Nads, na kakakausap ko lang sa telepono. Bumibisita pala siya rito, akala ko'y doon na siya natutulog sa senado. (heheh, biro lang Nads!)

Pinilit ko lang mag-blog ngayon bilang stress relief. Marami akong gustong sabihin pero lahat lahat, nauuwi lang sa dalawang salita. Nalulungkot ako. Kahit na subukan kong mag-isip ng ibang bagay, sumulat tungkol sa ibang bagay, bumabalik pa rin sa apat na katagang ito: aalis na asawa ko. Ngayong sabado na kasi ang flight niya papuntang NZ. Para kaming namatayan ni Ma (mother in law ko). Alam ko, para akong tanga...dalawang araw na akong umiiyak. Hindi naman tuloy tuloy---abnormal na yun. Tuwing sasagi sa isipan ko na sa susunod na linggo, sa internet na lang muna kami makakapag-usap, binabalot na ako ng lungkot at maya-maya, tutulo na ang luha ko. In a way, it's like grieving. Hinahayaan ko lang na mapaiyak ako: natural lang iyon, siyempre mawawalay ang bestfriend at mahal ko sa akin nang medyo matagal na panahon. Ang mahalaga ay hindi magpatalo sa lungkot.

Sabi nga ng asawa ko kahapon, "bakit ka iiyak eh simula pa lang ito". Oo nga naman....logically speaking, tama naman siya eh. Dugtong pa niya,"anim na buwan nating pinapangarap, ngayon, heto na. Tapos iiyak ka?" Tama din. Hindi namin inakalang dalawa noong isang taon, noong bagong kasal pa lamang kami, na mapapadpad siya sa New Zealand. Na maiisipan naming mag-emigrate. Na mabibigyan siya ng job offer. Noong ikinasal kami noong nakaraang Oktubre, hanggang honeymoon lang ang iniisip namin! Ang bilis bilis ng panahon. Mas mabilis ang mga pangyayari.

Hindi naman siyempre puro lungkot ang nararamdaman ko. Kapag hindi na ako "overwhelmed" ng lungkot, nagiging excited ako sa magiging panibagong pakikipagsapalaran ng asawa ko sa Wellington. Siyempre: bagong lugar, bagong trabaho, bagong mga kaibigan, bagong pagkakataon, at panibagong pag-asa. Maraming mga adjustment: tiyak iyon. Isa pang natitiyak ko: malulungkot din siya, at maaaring mas higit pa sa lungkot na mararamdaman ko. Dahil at least ako, kasama ko pa din ang anak at mga kamag-anak namin. Mga kaibigan namin. Siya, magiging "mag-isa" doon.

Kaya nga pinabaunan ko siya ng isang maliit na scrapbook, puno ng mga picture ni Raya. Pati na rin ilang larawan ko, at ng pamilya namin. May mga sulat sa loob, mga bilin na alagaan ang sarili niya. Pinabaunan ko din siya ng mga CD puno ng mas marami pang picture namin--- mga alaala ng mga bakasyon sa Vigan, Ilocos, Boracay, Tagaytay, Baguio. Mga larawan namin noong nag-d-date pa lang kami hanggang sa mga pictures noong araw ng kasal namin at pati na rin honeymoon, second honeymoon, at pagbubuntis ko. Alam kong kulang itong mga pabaon, pero sana makatulong na din sa lungkot na kakalabanin niya hanggang sa magkita kaming muli at magkasama kaming mag-anak.

Sa susunod na linggo, panibagong adjustment na naman. "Single" parent muna akong pansamantala. Haharapin niya naman ang bagong trabaho, bagong kaopisina, bagong mga housemates, at bagong kultura sa NZ. Basta't pangako ko sa kanyang hindi ako susuko at hindi rin bibitaw.

Here's to New Beginnings. As always, I love you.

Maligayang Bagong Blog...

2005-11-06T02:20:00.000+13:00

Tatatlo lang ang masasabi kong "best friend" na lalaki. Ang "original" at kauna-unahang pinakamatalik kong kaibigan ay yumao na. Ang pangatlo ay ang aking asawa. Ang pangalawa ay ang kaibigan kong si A.
Noon ay madalas kaming magkita ni A...lumalabas, gumigimik, nagkukuwentuhan, nagkakantahan. Hanggang sa naging napaka-busy naming dalawa- siya sa kanyang pagkanta, at ako sa pagtulong sa aming negosyo. Lalong hindi na kami nagkita mula nang magpakasal ako, magdalantao, at magkaanak.
Bagama't di na kami gaanong nagkikita at nakakapag-usap ngayon, itinuturing ko pa ring malapit at matalik na kaibigan si A. Isa siya sa pinakamalambing, mapagbigay, masayahin, mabait at pasensiyosong taong kilala ko. Siya rin ang pirming nagpapaalala sa akin na magsimba, magdasal, at tumawag sa Kanya sa panahon ng pangamba at pagkabahala. Tuwing magte-text at tatawag ako kay A. at maghihinga ng sama ng loob o magkukuwento ng mga alalahanin, makikinig siya at makikisimpatiya sabay sabi na ipaubaya ang aking mga suliranin sa Panginoon. Malaki ang pasasalamat ko sa Diyos sa pagbibigay sa akin ng kaibigang tulad niya.
Ngayon, natuklasan kong nagsimula na rin ng bagong blog ang aking kaibigan! Noon ay sa friendster lamang siya nagb-blog, pero ngayon meron na rin siya sa blogspot. Mukhang tuloy-tuloy ang magiging pag-blog niya. Sana nga, para kahit papano ay makabalita ako ng tungkol sa buhay niya.
Maligayang Bagong Blog, A... at Miss na Kita! (May concert si Regine Velasquez ngayong mga weekend ng Nobyembre---nood tayo kung di ka masyadong busy!)

Breastfeeding woes. Hate Ata ako ni Baby :( The Squeamish: read no further.

2005-10-28T16:30:00.000+13:00

Dear Doc Nikki,
Ikaw nalang ang kukuwentuhan ko dahil pedia ka. Kahit pagtawanan mo ako, ikukuwento ko na din. (Btw, I got the details of your clinic na. Medyo malapit ka na din sa bahay namin, mga 30 minutes siguro. =) Although happy naman ako sa pedia ko ngayon, it's still good to know a pedia na nakakausap ko na, like you.)

Anyway. Back to my kuwento. Ganito kasi iyon. I have been struggling to teach Raya to breastfeed directly from me. Noon kasing first week of life niya, wala pa akong milk kaya nag-formula agad. Nung nagka-milk naman ako, sobrang konti kaya ang pinasya kong gawin, mag breastpump until ma-establish ko ang supply ng milk. Pump dependent ako for breastmilk expression until Raya was 6+ weeks old. Until her fourth week, she was half-breastfed, half formula-fed. Then my milk supply jumped and madami nang milk (around the fourth week nga), so I resolved to get her to latch already. Then she got sick. I had to postpone teaching her til the end of her sixth week of life. (She got a bad cold and had difficulty breathing sometimes. I did not want to exacerbate that by teaching her to latch. Matamlay na nga eh.)

So there, we started direct breastfeeding on her seventh week of life. She was nipple confused, definitely. She would approach my nipple like the bottle: shaking her head expecting milk to flow without sucking. Then she would cry for 10-20 minutes; cry til she was already red, due to frustration. We spent a week learning to latch properly. At her eight week, marunong na siyang mag-latch. Still, she would not breastfeed willingly. Last week, her eighth week, ibang behavior naman ang pinakita niya. Magaling na nga siyang maglatch--- WHEN she latches. The problem was, she would NOT latch. She refused to take the breast. Again, the endless crying. She almost got me to quit breastfeeding due to the crying. I HAD to literally force her to the breast. Physically keep her mouth at the breast, get her to feed, then hope that she would stay there. First few days, this tactic seemed to work: kapag nagfeed na siya, tuloy tuloy na.

Then the past few days, iba na naman. Even when I got her to feed already, she would still unlatch, then refuse the breast. Nagrebelde na ata. And worse, whenever she would see the breast, hindi ko pa nga fini-feed, umiiyak na. The past two days, it was even worse. Nakikita niya palang ang pagmumukha ko, umaatungal na sa iyak. Thus it was, that I did not even attempt to breastfeed directly all day yesterday.

Sabi nga ng asawa ko, why does it matter so much HOW she gets the milk...the breastpump seemed to be doing the job. I couldn't answer him beyond, " Mas efficient magsuck ang baby. Mas dumadami at mas maganda ang flow ng milk ko pag si baby mismo ang nag-feed."

My mom and I never were very close. I guess I am hoping that breastfeeding would be one way for me to increase my bond with my baby. I felt the "bonding" when my baby was calm already, but those moments were few. Mas madami yung nag-w-wrestling kami sa pagfeed sa kanya. And lately, it seems that it has gotten worse. It does not help that I work and cannot reinforce the "breastfeeding lessons" with her. Ang nangyayari tuloy, love niya si yaya, hate niya si mommy. Can you tell that I am disheartened?

Sabi ng ibang breastfeeding moms, kumokonti daw ang milk supply kapag hindi si baby ang nag-suck. Totoo kaya ito? Kahit na using the breastpump lang, willing na din akong magtuloy ng breastfeeding kahit hindi siya maglatch. Mabigay ko lang ang "best milk" for her, okay na din, kesa naman ma-trauma siya ng ganyan. May pag-asa pa kayang mag-feed siya direct from me? Haaaay.

Suwerte Atbp.

2005-10-25T16:37:00.000+13:00

Mula sa isang email signature:

Luck is when Preparation meets Opportunity.

Pinagmumuni-munian ko ito kagabi. Oo nga naman. Karamihan ng inaakala nating suwerteng nangyayari sa buhay natin ay kagagawan din natin. May naging partisipasyon tayo sa pagdating ng suwerteng iyon. Siguro piling pili lang ang mga suwerteng talagang nahuhulog sa harap natin na wala tayong kontribusyon sa kaganapan nito.
Halimbawa na lang sa mga nananalo ng lotto. Sasabihin ng iba na suwerte sila---oo nga, dahil sila ang nabunot na magwagi. Pero ang partisipasyon ng taong nanalo: bumili pa rin sila ng tiket. Kung di sila bumili ng tiket, paano nga naman sila mananalo?
Eh iyong mga taong nananahimik tapos biglang pinamanahan ng ari-arian o malaking pera? Malamang may naipakita silang kabutihan o kagandahang loob doon sa nagpamana sa kanila. Tiyak na tiyak, may naging papel iyong pinamanahan sa buhay nung nagpamana, alam niya man ito o hindi.

Bakit ko nga ba naiisip ito? Siyempre pa, kunektado ito sa nalalapit na pag-alis ng asawa ko patungong New Zealand. Matapos ang ilang buwan, susunod na rin kami ng anak namin. Mapalad nga kami at nagkaroon kami ng pagkakataon na magbakasakali sa ibang bayan. Ang "suwerte" ng asawa ko ay galing na din sa maraming buwan niyang pagtitiyaga at pagsusubok na mag-apply sa maraming mga kumpanya na naka-base sa NZ. Galing din ang "suwerte" niya sa maraming buwan ng patuloy na pagbabasa at pag-aaral para makamit ang certification sa napili niyang larangan sa IT. Inihanda niya ang sarili niya, sinigurado niyang kapag dumating ang pagkakataon ay may maipapakita siyang kagalingan. Kaya naman noong sa wakas ay may employer na nagka-interes sa kanya, napabilib niya ito at nabigyan ng job offer.

Ngayon naman, marapat lang siguro na ako naman ang magpakitang gilas. Dapat hindi ko rin sayangin ang pagkakataong ito. Tama ang paalala ng asawa ko---ginusto naming magsimula muli sa ibang bayan sa pag-asang mas mabibigyan namin ng magandang buhay ang anak namin, at mas makapagpupundar kami para sa aming katandaan. Bago kami sumunod ng anak ko sa NZ, paano ko naman paghahandaan ito para katulad niya, hindi ko rin sayangin ang oportunidad? Para naman magtuloy-tuloy na ang suwerte sa aming pamilya?

Heto ang naisip ko.

Lalakasan ko ang loob ko.
Ngayon pa lang ay mag-aaral rin ako.
Hindi ko hahayaang ma-paralyze ako ng takot at pangungulila sa asawa ko.
Sisikapin kong makatulong sa kanya sa pamamagitan ng pagiging mabuting ina sa baby namin.
Oobserbahan ko at pag-aaralan ko kung paanong mamahala ng aming tahanan, kung paanong magluto, manahi: paghahandaan ko ang pagpunta duon para makatulong ako sa pagsulong ng adhikain naming mag-asawa. Mag-pa-praktis akong magmaneho para naman kaunting turo nalang at pagsasanay ang gagawin ko duon.
Magmamasid-masid ako at mag-iisip-isip kung ano ang puwedeng negosyohin duon. Sa business din lang ang background ko, baka naman magamit ko ang mga skills ko duon.
Katulad ng asawa ko, sisikapin kong ihanda ang sarili ko at pipilitin kong madagdagan ang mga skills ko, nang sa gayon ay makagaan at makatulong ako sa pagpapatatag ng pamumuhay namin duon.
At tuwing nalulungkot ako o nadedemonyong sumuko na lang, babasahin ko itong blog ko at pati na rin blog nga asawa ko- para maalala ko kung bakit namin ito ginagawa.

Totoo na Ito

2005-10-25T15:10:00.000+13:00

My husband just got the email from the NZ Embassy, Manila- they're asking for his flight details, then releasing his passport---- with the work visa already, I presume. Naku, totoo na ito. Aalis na nga talaga siya. I'm excited and scared at the same time. Excited for him, scared for me. I just have to repeat our mantra: para sa kabutihan din namin ito, para sa longterm...para sa kinabukasan ng pamilya namin.

We don't know what to do first, now that the veil of uncertainty has lifted. Should we buy all the stuff he needs first? Ni wala pa siyang maleta! Should we book his ticket already? Para maiwasan din iyong EVAT. He ought to go to the POEA as well: registering with them is a requirement with his work visa. Also, we have to lodge our ITA (application for migration) as well. So much to do, I'm almost panicking just thinking about it.

One thing at a time. Breathe. Matatapos din ito.

Naku...I will miss my husband so much.

First

2005-10-24T15:04:00.000+13:00

It seemed just like yesterday when we were busy planning our wedding- booking the church, searching for our reception venue, choosing among the many wedding gown designers...
And today, it is exactly one year since our wedding day.

So much has changed since then. We've made several adjustments as individuals, and as a couple too. Moving in together, living as husband and wife, getting to know one another deeper, accepting each other's quirks and forgiving one another's foibles. Integrating his family into my world, and my family into his.

And then: getting pregnant---adjusting to the idea of becoming parents, preparing for the baby financially and emotionally. The newest adjustment: becoming parents and maintaining the closeness of our relationship as a couple.

Indeed, it has been an eventful first year. Fruitful in more ways than one. Memorable, and definitely worth it. I would not trade a single day, nor would I change any bit of it. I thank my husband for his calming presence; for experiencing all these adjustments, struggles, triumphs, and changes with me. I love the peacefulness we share, and the joy I feel with him and our baby. I love him deeper for growing with me and growing with our new family. I hope that as the years pass, our relationship will grow ever deeper and stronger: that it will take root and our bond will be unbreakable.

For my husband: Thank you for your understanding and patience, your loving care, hard work, and concern for our welfare. Thank you for being considerate and gentle. Thank you for struggling to work through our fights and spats. For being not just a good husband and father, but also being the friend who listens and comforts me. I appreciate your shedding a different light on my various concerns. Thank you for the laughter, the jokes, and the one-liners you manage to come up with just at the right time--- kapag naiiyak na ako, ang galing mong magpatawa. I had fun this year, and I have never felt as loved (except by my parents and sibs) as I do with you. I feel stronger and much braver with you by my side, and I look forward to sharing more adventures with you and Raya. I love you.

Saga of my DeQuervain's Tenosynovitis

2005-10-21T16:26:00.000+13:00

If you're still reading after that mouthful of a title, that's what's ailing my left hand now.

What happened? I don't know either. All I know is that roughly three weeks ago, I woke up and a "vein" on the side of my left wrist was throbbing. I ignored it thinking it was just a sore muscle. It felt worse after 2-3 days. I concluded it was pilay, and proceeded to search for a good hilot. I thought our village masahista could do it--- she had reflexology training after all. Boy, was I wrong! She appeared to want to prod, pinch, and knead my aching wrist into submission. I kept telling her it wasn't getting any better, and to be more gentle: I finally cried uncle and asked her to stop lest she do more damage. My wrist was swollen and green-gray the next day, and the day after that. And still painful.

Still not dissuaded, I asked around for another hilot--- a good one. My husband and I went to the far ends of Las Pinas one rainy night last week, hoping that the recommended hilot would finally do the job that the masahista/reflexologist could not. He seemed more experienced, this hilot. I knew from his strokes...except, the wrist was not getting better. In fact, it felt the same---and even a bit worse. I told him this and he said to give it some time for the blood to flow. Naipit lang ang ugat- yun ang akala namin. When he pulled my already-aching thumb, trying to get the joint to 'pop', that's when I jumped up in pain and knew it was time to visit a real doctor.

And so I went to my healthcare provider last week. I ask if there is an Ortho or rehab doctor around. (Thanks to my friends Docs Arch and Ikay: they told me what kind of doc should be looking at my wrist!) The ortho doc holds clinic tuesdays and fridays, I was informed. I had to wait til then. I finally see the ortho doc. His recommendation: Surgery. Me: Surgery? Drastic ata non. Wala bang non-surgical treatment? I ask if we could try rehab: he refers me to a rehab doctor. My healthcare provider gives me the referral letter. I call the rehab doc's office for an appointment: she's booked solid and can only fit me in on November 3???!!! That's nearly 3 weeks away! I decide to go to another rehab doc- one recommended by my doctor friend Arch. It wasn't covered by my healthcare provider, but I needed relief and the use of my left hand yesterday! [ I never noticed how much I used and needed my hand til I could not use it. I had trouble just shampooing my hair. Hooking my bra. Forget holding my baby for long periods of time. Hell, I had trouble breastfeeding due to my aching left hand and wrist! ]

The rehab doc recommended that I go see a hand specialist. His diagnosis: DeQuervain's Tenosynovitis. The hand specialist concurred. Simply put, a tendon on the side of my wrist --- connected to my thumb--- is swollen. The pain comes from the swollen tendon and sheath around it. The swelling has progressed from being a slight ache on my wrist, to being a major pain on my left hand when I attempt to use my thumb, the base area of my thumb, or the vicinity near it. (Yes, I am also aware that the hilot attempts could not have helped.) I call myself four-fingered sassymoon nowadays. I'm typing this "single-handedly": pun intended. Bilib na ba---sige tuloy pa din sa blog kahit out of commission ang kaliwang kamay ko.

The doctor says that my case is not full blown yet- at its worst, I would be in pain, would probably need medication for pain, and would not be moving my left wrist/hand because of it. The hand specialist had three options for me: steroidal drugs taken orally(out of the question since I am breastfeeding), steroid injections, and surgery.

Right now I just came from the specialist and got my steroid shot---yes, right there on the affected left wrist. Doc Tacata, that's the hand surgeon, says that my condition will most likely recur in a few months' time. Surgery din daw ang kababagsakan nun. In most cases and in her experience, this is what happens. She showed me her two wrists: both had surgery marks---nagkaganun na rin daw siya, kaya alam niya kung gaano kahirap at alam niya ang lahat ng options. Like me, she tried the steroid shots first. Eh bumalik ang pain. She decided to go for surgery then. Fifteen minutes, permanent solution.

Still, I am hoping that mine is an anomaly---that my case will be one of the exceptions, rather than what she is commonly used to seeing. Kaya nagpa-steroid injection muna ako. Malay niyo, hindi na bumalik and maga. Sana talaga.

Ready....Get Set...eVAT

2005-10-19T15:39:00.000+13:00

Lifted na magmula kahapon ang TRO sa extended Value Added Tax.
Isa lang ang ibig sabihin nito. Gastos. Dagdag na gastusin para sa ating lahat.
Matinding sakripisyo talaga ang kahulugan nito, pati na sa maliliit... pati sila ay apektado dahil pati gasolina, kuryente, at pasahe ay may karagdagang buwis na.
Mga presyong bangungot na inaasahan kong makita magmula Nobyembre 1, 2005:
LPG= P510 (Mula sa kasalukuyang P470)
Diesel = P36+ (Mula sa kasalukuyang P32.50)
Pasahe sa eroplano, bapor, etc = +10%
Toll Fee sa NLEX at SLEX= +10%
Dagdag na singil ng mga doktor, abugado (sama na din mga ospital) at mga bagong saklaw ng eVAT
Maraming salamat, Senator Recto, para sa eVAT.
Maraming salamat, mga senador at congressman, sa pagtanggal ng "No Pass On Provision" sa eVAT.
Nawa'y mapunta talaga sa kaban ng bayan ang karagdagang buwis.
Kung higit na maghihigpit tayo ng sinturon, sana pati ang mga opisyales ng pamahalaan ay magsipaghigpit din ng sinturon.
Sana ay talagang makabuti para sa bayan ang dagdag na eVAT, katulad ng ipinangangalandakan ni Senador Recto at iba pang pumapabor sa eVAT.
Good Luck sa ating lahat at Mabuhay (pa sana tayo matapos nito).

Which is Which...

2005-10-18T19:40:00.000+13:00

two in one, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

Found my husband's baby pic on the right... kamukha ba? =)

Pushing Up

2005-10-15T02:09:00.000+13:00

IMG_4199, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

Cousins

2005-10-15T02:06:00.000+13:00

cousins, originally uploaded by sassymoon.

Mali yata ang anggulo ng kuha ko. Nakaharap pa yung flash kay baby Manolo, lalo tuloy pumuti. At lalo naman umitim si baby Raya ko! :D Baby Olo is only 5 weeks younger than Raya. My parents are thrilled to have two new apos.

Where Are the People In the Neighborhood?

2005-10-12T19:01:00.000+13:00

Been gone a few weeks, and already the blog-o-sphere has changed somewhat.
Some blogmates are missing/gone!
Like Bel (and her Kablogstugan site with Spartacus)
and Patrice (in California with her Lumpiang Hubad)
and also KiwiPinay
I clicked on their links, they were gone.
I hope they were not victimized by flamers and spammers.
If they happen to read this entry, I want them to know: they are missed.