April Ends, May Begins

I have this nagging pain on my right knee for almost two weeks now. It is not really that painful but I could not sleep at night trying to try a sleeping position that would keep me relaxed. The pain is more visible at night. I tried some liniments to no avail.  It keeps coming back.

Early this morning I went back to my doctor for that much-needed check up.  He prescribed Tramadol for a week once or twice a day or as needed. I took one when I reached home and I am feeling okay now. Hopefully, the pain goes away soon. I have to come back after a week though for uric acid test and for FBS (fasting blood sugar).  Sometimes I just hate going to the doctor. I hate the endless waiting.  You’ll wait for two hours  only to be seen by the doctor for less than fifteen minutes. I get bored waiting. Although there is a television in the waiting area, I don’t usually watch it.

Instead of using a headset when I am viewing a video, Josef lent me his BOSE sound link and connected it to the computer. This afternoon, I tried it listening to some 70’s and 80’s songs then surprise…I watched a movie called Irresistible, starring Susan Sarandon.  Was she going crazy suspecting her husband’s newest co-worker that the latter is trying to attract the former? When things started to disappear in their house, the more she believed that the stalker was her husband’s co-worker. She struggles to prove her sanity and trust on her intuition. It is a psychological thriller alright with an unexpected conclusion. I didn’t expect to enjoy it but I did.  And listening to a well-delivered and clear dialogue added to the attraction. Using the sound link is way, way better than relying on the computer’s speaker.

Time flies, don’t you think? April is coming to a close and May is just around the corner.

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Take That Power Nap

Wikipedia defines power nap as a short sleep which terminates before the occurrence of deep sleep or what they call slow-wave sleep (SWS) intended to quickly revitalize the subject from drowsiness.

Power nap can make you alert and productive  but only if it is correctly done. So how do you do it? It takes good practice to take a 20-minute nap and wake up renewed and alert once more for another four or five hours work.

First thing of course is for you to find a good place to nap. Back when I was still working, some of my office mates and I were so used to taking a 20-30 minute nap during lunch break. An hour break is good enough to take a light 10-minute lunch, another 10-minute walk from the bank canteen to the 4th floor and around 20-25 minutes of power napping. Of course, it is kind of different from your afternoon siesta wherein you can sleep leisurely to your heart’s content. Lying your head down on your desk for a quick snooze usually brings relaxation. Less stress at work makes you more productive. Research says that it is better to have that all important 20-minute nap than going back to bed in the morning for another hour of sleep.

Contrary to popular opinion, napping is not for the lazy people who’ve got nothing to do. Napping gives you that shot of physical and mental energy in the middle of the day. It’s like giving yourself that all important adrenalin shot, keeping you rested and energized.

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Sunday Musings

We’ve changed venues (church) two months ago. We now attend our very own  Parish here in Midtown instead of going to the town to attend Sunday Masses. Sometimes, we walk.  It is just a ten-minute walk from our place. Sometimes, we ride on e-bikes to get there on time. We usually attend the 6 am mass, the first mass of the day.

Oreo is used now with us bringing him along on Sundays. Every time he sees me dressed for mass, he guards the door and keeps barking until we put the leash on him which is a signal that he could come along with us.  It is his weekly exercise too. He is  usually quiet in the middle of the service. This morning though, he saw another dog at the patio  of the church (on leash too). He can’t keep quiet and wanted to go down and mingle.   Jovy says he is so spoiled because sometimes we treat him as a baby here and  he loves it.

I haven’t done any reading for about two days now. I am half-way with Merton’s autobio and about to finish a book  about 20th century America. I have always loved reading historical books, be they are novels or not. There is something nice about knowing what happened in the past. Done with 60 books since January, half of what I set myself to read this year.

Watched the debate of the senatorial candidates last night on television held at my alma mater, University of Santo Tomas and was sponsored by CNN Philippines. Some people who belong to the administration said it was staged by the opposition, Otso Diretso candidates. May I just say that they are more prepared to debate on issues important to the country? They have platforms which the administration candidates don’t seem to have. Election day will be in two weeks and voters should have discerned enough on who to vote for to govern the country.

As I have always said, I don’t believe in surveys. Surveys represent a mere trickle of the total voting population. Some are there to mislead everyone who they should vote for. They are paid ads meant to condition the minds of those who haven’t chosen who to vote for. And they could be manipulated.

It is your right to choose the best man for the job but please be discerning enough that he knows the responsibilities and duties attached to it. Popularity is not a basis for choosing the best, having the best doable platform is.

The real survey happens on May 13.  Wish us luck guys and pray for us too that it would be a clean and honest election.

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Saturday Joys

Yes, it is another family day with just Nissa, Nate and Oreo for company. Josef has an overtime work today.

I am simply amazed by  Nate’s appetite nowadays. He is a little chubby compared to the last time we saw each other during his graduation in kindergarten.

I cooked fried chicken wings and spaghetti for lunch.  He ate three fried chicken wings, a little rice and a plate of spaghetti. Shared a bar of chocolate with Nissa later,  then King Crab crackers plus  two bottles of Mogo Mogo. Then a few hours  ago, he said he was hungry again. Nissa cooked some eggs and hot dog...kain ulit siya with fried rice. WOW.  He even finished the bowl of fried garlic rice a little later.

Nissa said, “tumaba siya ano Ma?” He does not want that word “mataba” (fat), he frowned at both of us.

Ah, I said, “malusog”.

“Malusog is mataba din”, he told us.

“No“, I said. Malusog means healthy.

We weren’t able to take pictures because both of us were busy talking while Nissa took a nap. I told him about the snake I saw a few days ago and he told me about the big snake he saw at the zoo. He even remembers that time he soiled his Pampers while they were in the car. We were laughing while he was making “kwento”.

Nissa is really so thoughtful. Got more “pasalubong” from her – two bottles of Nivea Body Milk, Jeju Aloe Ice Soothing Gel and Novena pamphlet to St. Camillus de Lellis (Patron of the sick, nurses and hospitals) with a handkerchief prayer attached. They are so lucky, they always get to see visiting relics at the Manila Cathedral.

Thank you Sang, love them all!

And Saturday is always a thrill when Nate is here.

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Meantime….

Good morning everyone. Peace, Joy and Happiness to all. Have a nice and happy weekend.

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My Gosh, It’s A Snake

This will probably be the shortest post I will ever write on  WordPress.

Until now, when I think about it, I tremble in fear.

I have just finished sweeping the backyard of fallen leaves early this morning when I saw this brown snake slithering on  the grass going to our dirty kitchen. It exited the small vent going to the  vacant lot behind the house. It was about five feet long, as fat as my arms. Its body was gray with brown blotches all throughout.

This prompted me to cut some of the plants planted at the back of the house. Gosh, that was so scary.

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When Calamity Strikes

Even if you think you are prepared for such a calamity like an earthquake, you’re not. Even if you think that you are not afraid and are not nervous about it, you are.

Yesterday will go down history as another unfortunate event that all of us were unprepared for.  I was writing a post when all of a sudden, the table where my monitor and keyboard are started shaking. A lateral and downward movement that made one dizzy. Come to think of it, I never even thought of running outside but just prayed and prayed until everything is calm again. Jovy told me that they went down from their 22nd floor office at JP Morgan when an announcement told them to evacuate the building. They went back to work after all was clear. Josef was at the 9th floor of another building  near their JP Morgan office at BGC, waited for instructions from their Security office on what to do.

PHILVOCS  reported that it was tectonic in origin and the epicenter was somewhere in Zambales but it was in Porac, Pampanga where it was deeply felt. The two provinces are divided by mountains.

Above photo shows a damaged church in Porac,  Pampanga. There were cracks on the asphalted roads, a grocery store collapsed that caused three deaths and injured people. Portion of Clark International Airport was damaged too which led to flight cancellations in the area. Metro Manila was not spared. Most schools and public offices have no classes and no work today so those buildings could be inspected. More than 421 aftershocks were recorded by PHILVOCS  early this morning. Just watched a video where water from a swimming pool of a high-rise building poured to the grounds like falls.

And to think this is not yet the big one that they are warning us about. There are several fault lines in our country.

Marikina Fault Line – is the most geologically active fault line in the Philippines. – it is located in East of Metro Manila and cuts through all the modern and progressive portions of Manila, Rizal, Marikina City, Quezon City such as Eastwood, Rockwell, Ortigas Center, Bonifacio Global City, Ayala Center, and Alabang.  Bonifacio Global City and Ayala Center are the business hubs of Metro Manila. 

Earthquake drills are regularly being done but not all are willing participants. Poor us, we are flood-prone and earthquake-prone too.

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Gratitude

I was having my own reflections while watching the sharers of  The Seven Last Words. A long time ago, during one of the  retreats I attended, our guest speaker asked what was our favorite passage in the Bible and this came to mind.

It sums up everything that Christ did for mankind. He died so we may live.

Last Friday, lots of thoughts played in my head. The times when I had problems with my health, the times when everything was not okay, the sacrifices we have to endure with the family not complete, the things we dreamed of but not fulfilled. Everything seemed to be all complaints  with no sense of gratitude. When you are at that point that everything seems to be topsy turvy, sometimes you can’t even think of the good things coming your way. You seem so focused on the problems and not how to go about it until one day you wake up and say “problems are not really bigger than our lives”. You wake up to the fact that they are part and parcel of our lives.

Gosh I thought, I was just dizzy. The table was shaking and so was my monitor. There was a strong earthquake a few minutes ago while I was writing the first paragraph. I was so afraid, I have just Oreo in the house with me and he is pleasantly asleep in the comfort room. My monitor was shaking. God please protect us from such calamities. 

I lost my train of thought. Nissa just called me up asking how I am and how strong it was here. So many comments on FB. So it was 5.9 here in Luzon and  Metro Manila. 6.3 in Pampanga. Oh my.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care  about itself.  Each day has enough  trouble of its  own”. -Matthew 6:34

I love this passage too. Sometimes we worry too much to the point that our health is affected. We must learn to let go at let God.

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Happy Easter To All

New life, new hope, new beginnings.

 

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Life With Mom (Part 16)

My dearest Mom,

Of course I didn’t forget, it is your birthday today. How I wish you were here with us. If you were here, at least tomorrow we could go out and celebrate your 90th birthday.

I can’t imagine myself reaching that age. Nine decades of happy and blessed life. I know you sometimes forget, simple things that still you ought to remember. Then you will say “anto layay ulok, alingwanan ko la”. (Gosh, I always forget).  But you know that you forgot something.  Maybe it comes with old age. I always hear this phrase that  “when you reach 80, everything is a bonus”.

We are blessed too that you are still with us despite your age. Hopefully, you’ll still see Nate growing up. I am proud to say, he is a smart boy.

May you always remain strong and healthy and most of all happy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY.

from a loving daughter.

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