Ah, Shopee Daw 0h

Shopee, an online store which is a strict rival of Lazada probably lost its lead (if it is leading, that is) on the online market when it got Toni Gonzaga as its endorser. It was laying off its employees. Lazada which I patronize was trending yesterday afternoon once Shopee announced its new endorser. So far, many Filipinos unstalled the app for Shopee. The resonating boycott only proved the influence of socia media. Those 31M in SD cards who supposedly voted for Marcos, Jr. are silent.

There is a story behind this, Toni Gonzaga is an influencer and enabler. She campaigned for Marcos before the election. Others probably like her as an actress but some hate her the more while her whole family clings to the Marcoses. As they say in Tagalog kapit-tuko.

I think Shopee’s loss is Lazada’s gain. Since Nissa introduced me to online shopping years ago, I never ventured in Shopee’s app. Stayed loyal to Lazada.

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Nissa’s 40th

I think I am getting old. I now have a forty-year old daughter but I wish I have more grandkids. It must be nice to have a big family.

Back in our time at Bank of PI, we were always allowed to file a vacation leave on the day of our birthday. So they are still doing it until today. Obet also filed a leave of absence and Nate does not have class today.

I asked Nissa where they’ll be having their lunch. It’s at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel. Wow, what a grand celebration. I enjoyed reading the comments on the tribute I wrote for Nissa. Nate is as smart as his mom. I hope when he grows up, he’ll be as successful as Nissa.

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Yacon

Bought three kilos of Yakon online, they say it is good for diabetics. I’ve tasted this before, a little sweet and crunchy.

Yacon has been used for nutrition as well as folk medicine for diabetes, weight control, and inflammation. Although research is limited, there is some agreement on the potential health benefits of consuming yacon root.

It is a root crop.

I previously blogged about last night but when I published it, it is password protected so I just deleted it.

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It’s Signal Number Three

Yes, it’s a bad bed weather. Typhoon Karding has reached the category of typhoon signal number 5. We are alarmed by the speed of winds it is taking and the sudden change of track targetting Luzon and Metro Manila. So far, we are having moderate rainfall now here in our area. I don’t know about the next eighteen hours. I am monitoring our weather bureau. I told Jovy and Josef not to go out anymore, it might gain strength this evening. I am hoping and praying there won’t be flashfloods.

Yesterday, Nissa’s fam came over for a visit. We saw each other the last time four months ago when we lost my younger brother Alden. My goodness, Nate is definitely growing tall for his age of nine years. Nissa says he is 4’11 now, the tallest in his class. Change of weather, he suddenly doesn’t like his pictures taken but in the end, he posed for me at the garden. I took some shots though.

Our bunso is not so fond of the camera but he gamely joined me and Nissa for a pose. My two kids, Josef and Nissa.

Nissa and I

A stolen shot of Nate while he was busy playing with his tab.

He loves the Fudgee Barr I gave him earlier.

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Remembering Those First Meetings With My Religious Friends

What a mouthful of a title.

Yes I met those cute and smart seminarians when I worked as a student librarian at the UST Main Library. Since I was assigned at the Humanities Section where they frequented, I met so many of them. That was wayback in the 70s. Our Prefect at the library was a Spanish priest who is now in Korea. My fellow student librarians at the section and I were even invited to some ordinations of our friends. Some are now friends on FB.

I met Lovell for the first time when he graduated in Theology in 2008 but he was Nissa’s friend in UST during their college days. I remember him gifting me with a Vatican rosary when we met. He is now almost 10 years into the priesthood and is assigned in Iloilo down south. He is one of my prayer warriors and we get in touch from time to time. He calls me his spiritual mother.

Fr. Louie who is also a Dominican is the creator of The Filipino Catholic page on FB. When he learned that I am a friend of Lovell back in 2010, he asked me to be one of the co -admins of our page which I hold until now. The family met him for the first time when we went to Santo Domingo Church during our Visita Iglesia in 2011. He came back here after his doctorate in Rome and is now the Secretary General of UST. I met the rest of my Dominican friends then.

I met Fr. Rey when he was still a seminarian in UST. We are from the same province so we speak the same language. We lost touch after college graduation. He went to the US for further studies and came back here when he was ordained as a priest. He stayed in New York for a number of years and came home I think a couple of years ago. We are now friends on Facebook. We always have a healthy exchange of comments when it comes to politics.

I have been a friend of Fr. Pao since 2018 I think but we haven’t met personally until last Monday. I often attend his masses online. Met the rest of the Paulinians friends when we went to the wake of my friend’s mom.

Last 2014, my friends and I had a small gathering here at home, pot luck but I did most of the cooking. For the first time I personally met Fr. Tacky, a Franciscan and Fr. Boy, who is a Dominican. They came over too. That was a lovely occasion, full of laughter and food. I also met some online friends who are members of our page.

Funny how after all these years, we are still in touch, kumustahan once in a while. Like Fr. Lovell, they are my prayer warriors too.

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Meeting Friends

This morning I went to the wake of one of my friends’ mom. My Sambuhay Interaktib family met me there. Malou is also a member this group which was organized more than two years ago. These priests and seminarians of St. Paul created a program three years ago to share reflections and bond with other online people who attend the former’s online masses during the pandemic. It was a concelebrated mass of Fr. Pao and Fr. Baste assisted by Rev. Ed who delivered the homily. They go online twice a week and they have gained loyal followers.

Malou’s family took a one-week vacation (they live now in Australia) to attend their mom’s burial. Her son is also a seminarian. He took a video of the mass. I took some shots after the mass.

With Fr. Pao

Br. Russel and I

Fr. Pao, Marian (Malou’s daughter), Br. Ronel and Fr. Baste at the back.

Fr. Pao, Rev. Ed and I

Love those funny and precious moments of bonding after the mass and while we were eating lunch.

When friends meet, hearts warm❤🧡💜💙💚💛

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Everyday Life Nowadays

Okay, I am blogging offline, will have to publish this when we have internet connection. The past two days, Globe Telecom has been down. I wonder when it will serve our connection again. Though I could blog and read other blog posts, they are not updated on my tab.

I usually wake up at 5am almost every day except when Josef reports to the office three times a week, from Monday to Wednesday. Since Jovy brings the car to work every day ( she works different time), Josef takes a ride with his officemate who lives in the town as ours. They pass by every day at around 4:50 am since our street is a short-cut to Pasig area then to Bonifacio Global City where JP Morgan Chase is located.

You know the morning routine of a senior citizen like me. I sweep the yard, clean the dogs poop, water my garden plants, then hose the garage. I clean the house first before preparing breakfast. Since I only take plain oats and nuts every morning, I only need hot water for it and for my chamomile tea. I only prepare breakfast for mom and Josef. He works at home twice a week. By around 8:30am and 9am, I’m usually done with the morning chores. Lunch is at 12pm. I take a slice of whole wheat bread with what dish I have prepared earlier. Then I’M FREE.

Take that to mean the rest of the afternoon is my “me” times when I am able to read and update our Catholic page and group on social media where I’m one of the admins. Reading takes the cake of course. I recently read two books which I both rated five stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Home Before Sundown was written by Barbara Hannay while The Sweetness of Forgetting was penned by Kristin Harmel. Both are new authors on my list. I just copied some lovely words from Harmel’s book.

– the dawn’s narrow finger are just reaching the horizon

– life changes you, even if you don’t realize it while it’s happening, and it turns out you can’t take back the years that have passed by

– you do not always have to see something to know that it is always there.

Presently I am reading We Were The Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter, another e-book about the holocaust. Seems like an interesting read too.

The mother of a friend died and they live in the same town as we do. My friend and her family are coming home from Australia and we’ll see each other tomorrow together with some priest friends and brothers from the Society of Saint Paul. Fr. Pao will be celebrating mass.

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Such Is Life

Went back to my internist at the Medical City and also to get the result of my laboratory tests last Thursday. Thank God for His mercy, my creatinine and blood pressure went back to normal although my blood sugar is still elevated. My uric acid too is not good.

I’ve been to an ENT last week and she prescribed three lab tests which will be done at the main hospital but I have to call them first for scheduling. I need a companion to go there. My sense of hearing is slowly going back to normal. My internist suggested that I have it checked before thinking of my cataract operation. I could now listen well to solo singers on YouTube but not in a group performance. Praying it would go back to normal. My doctor laughed when I said I still could see even without my eyeglasses and he said all the more reason that I have my ears check up first.

Two weeks ago, I was about 116 lbs and my doctor friend told me we should not lose much when we are getting old. Now, I am pegged at 120 lbs. I think it is good enough.

When one is getting old, there are so many illnesses that crop up. I never like oatmeal before but the past three weeks, plain instant oat is my usual breakfast usually with cashew nuts and unsalted and plain peanuts. Nuts help lower the glycemic index. Thrice a week I mix the oatmeal with hard-boiled egg.

Such is a life of a senior citizen like me😉

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It Is Now Voluntary

The president of this land has lifted the wearing of face mask in public places except those who are senior citizens and persons with comorbidity. It is now voluntary.

I’ve been wearing one since my chemo days back in 2009. I don’t want to give it up since I have low immunity. It is so easy for me to pick up germs on the streets especially when I take a commute. Pollution is such that sometimes I am afraid to go out on my own.

They never update us anymore of the situation of Covid in the country. Based on some news, most vaccines for Covid have already expired. That’s a lot of money.

Peso to the US$ dollar is getting worse. We could not even hear from this administration what they are planning to do with the rising cost of almost all commodities and basic necessities. Shall we just sit back and wait? How pathetic🤔😒☹

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Musings

Some months ago, I reviewed my early posts which I wrote on my journal. Just remembered them now. These were written at random during the first three years of my blogging journey.

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