this has got to be my most depressing birthday ever!

andres bonifacio and the makati mutiny

yesterday, my mind was preoccupied with something else. i was busy with work. month end is coming up, my officemate was absent and i had to fill in for him, all the while i was busy being worried with the pending reports i needed to prepare for submission soon.

i was frantically trying to beat the 12pm deadline when i heard the radio tuned in an AM station, this is a rare hapenning in our office, so i knew that there was something going on. i asked around and they said there was a coup d' etat going on. i didn't believe it but later, i found out that it was true.

like most filipinos i was glued to the television as the events unfolded.

backtrack....

i voted for trillanes, and i was glad when he won as a senator.

when he and his colleagues staged the oakwood mutiny, i felt for them and supported their cause. i was impressed that they stood up for what they believed in. admittedly though, i knew it was a lost cause. the people have long been jaded. people power has passed its prime. why? our political climate is not as clear as it was in 1986. then, we knew who the enemy was, and we knew who to turn to, we knew who symbolized new hope and transformation for our country. it was clear as black and white. marcos vs. cory. we had a choice and we made it.

now, it's not as clear. we have graft and corruption in our government. red tape is a norm. we are mostly unhappy as a people. we want the present president out. who do we want to replace her? who are our choices? do we even have a fit replacement? the best we can do is to choose the lesser evil. is that good enough?

present day...

manila penn mutiny is quashed. trillanes is hauled off to bicutan like a common criminal. no people power happened. no military/civilian/religous support came. have we grown tired of asking the president to step down, the call to converge and topple the present leadership. maybe we can't find a suitable replacement. or maybe it was because of the rains.

too bad for manila penn and its guests. they learned first hand just how unhappy we are as a people.

the future is getting bleaker. i'm sure andres bonifacio and the rest of our heroes are turning in their graves. this is the country that they loved and died for... what a pity.

bonding with my sis

last saturday, my darling sister and i went on a long overdue date. just the two of us. i asked her out with the intention of treating her, but she ended treating me instead. (hehehe, thanks ds.)

we went on our way, without knowing where we're going or what we'll do. finally, we settled on going to trinoma, which is good since i've never been there before! strolled for a bit, my sis gave me a mini tour. ( i was able to resist the lure of the bookstore! woohoo!)

for lunch, we ordered brothers' burgers to go. we had identical orders, burger plus cream cheese with garlic, french fries and soda. (yummy!) we had our lunch while watching the movie Enchanted. Great movie by the way! great acting... and singing! my sis loved it too, although her first choice was a local movie, one more chance, too bad hubby and i watched it already the night before.

after the movie, more strolling, we went and inquired about the classes available at gymboree for our bea. (we are very interested, i hope we can save enough for her to attend their classes!)
then we went and got some pampering... sis got a pedicure and foot spa while i had a facial.

just before leaving the mall, we decided to eat halo-halo from Razon's. mmmm....!

it was a fun, fulfilling day with my sister. i miss these bonding days. i remember when we were young, we used to go on dates like these. my mom would entrust me to my sister and we'd go around the mall, just strolling. when my sis had her first job, she'd take me out to treat me to snacks. very generous of her, really. =)

hopefully, we can do this again soon!

iwan...

huhuhu, my friends left for cebu early this afternoon.. without hubby and me. i am sooo sad, and envious. they left for cebu. hubby and i were supposed to be part of that team. we have the tickets and all. we bought it months ago... back then was still freelancing. now, hubby's new job is still a week old, meaning he is still probationary, meaning ... no absences allowed! grrr...

sad. sad. sad.

diagnosed but not convinced

last night we went to the emergency room to have my back checked. we went to this dark and sad hospital we've never gone to ever. why then did we choose this hospital? they are affiliated with our health card. as much as we wanted to go to St. Luke's, we knew for a fact that being checked up in their ER will take HOURS. we once went in at 8:45 pm and left at around 2:30 am. so much for emergency huh? i had to think about hubby because he still had work monday morning.

when we got there, there were no other patients. only chatty nurses and a doctor who looked like she is still in pre-med. no doc's white gown either. hubby and i thought she was a receptionist. hehehe. in fairness, she seemed competent enough. either she is really competent, or she is a really good receptionist. lol!

my urine and blood was tested. i was made to lie down on a dingy bed. nurses peered down at me, even if they were not supposed to be involved, as if they are not used to patients actually coming in their hospital. my tummy and back was pressed down at every possible angle.

diagnosis: muscle spasm. huh? urinalysis and cbc came out normal.

i am not convinced. i remember feeling this much pain in my back a year ago. my urinalysis revealed then i had 100+ pus cells in my urine. but this time, 2 pus cells, and i can't even stand up straight for 2 minutes!

muscle spasm my a**. hmmm. i'm not convinced.

photo hunt:: i love ____

i love my hubby!

i love my bea!

i love my family!

hmmm... i also love pasta and grilled chicken!

yellow cab pizza and noodles too!! yum!

easy christmas shopping!

Christmas is fast approaching! Along with it comes the christmas rush. Of course, there is a way to enjoy Christmas shopping without the hustle and bustle of it all… online shopping! CouponChief.com is a wonderful site full of different items you can get for your loved ones, they offer promo codes, coupon deals and discount resources for their visitors. And their site is really easy to use.

I am thinking of getting some books by using The Scholastic Store Coupons for my nieces and nephew. Books are always great gifts, especially for kids! Then I’m going to avail the SpaLook Deals for my girl friends, they would surely appreciate a little pampering. I’m sure they’d love that!

Argh! My shopping is far from over, as the date nears, my list seems to be getting longer! Good thing CouponChief.com is here.

promo codes

ooops. she did it again.

the nanny copped out on us again. two days in a row. yesterday, hubby's last day in his old work. payday. the nanny texted us telling us that she needed to take her child to the doctor for a checkup. what can we do? hubby stayed home and took care of kulit bea. he left later in the afternoon to pick up his salary, leaving bea with lolo.

earlier today, hubby's first day in his new work. nanny is a no show. 6:35, nanny's husband came to tell us that she will not be coming in AGAIN. the doctor was not able to see them yesterday since there were soooo many patients. i was already dressed and all. i had to stay home. no choice.

i hope she comes in tomorrow. laundry day. i mean, i loooove my bea to death, but she is becoming a handful! you can't do anything else but to watch her. i take my eyes off her for a couple of SECONDS and she's standing up on a chair or the sofa. (she loooves to climb stuff!) it's like taking care of two boys! super mega hyper active!

online poker fun for mac users

I’m not a very lucky person. I never won in raffles, lottery and the like. I guess you can say I’m not very good with games of chances. So I guess gambling is out of the question. I’ve never tried it… but that’s about to change!

I’ve recently discovered Mac Poker Online, a site that exclusively provides info regarding casino games and online poker for Macintosh. Yep, mac users, this site will save you a lot of time, less time looking for good sites to play in, more time to actually play and have a good time! Beginners will enjoy this site because they have a special easy beginners ‘ guide. Quite helpful for first timers like me.

They have links to excellent online poker rooms like Pacific Poker, Fulltilt Poker, Poker Stars. They have in their list only reputable sites, so you know you can trust these sites with your money. I'm really glad they launched this site, not only is it reliable and helpful, it is really easy to read and understand. Go on over and check out their site!

make your travel plans soon!

Some months back, hubby and I booked a flight to a local island, Cebu, the fun part is we’re going with some friends of ours. Woohoo! I’m really excited! This is my first time to travel by plane… well, scared and excited. =) I remember we had a lot of trouble trying to book this flight and our accomodation. It’s nearing Christmas time, and this is peak season, meaning most hotels are fully booked already. Good thing we planned ahead! =)

Hey, for those looking to travel, let me share with this tip, try and book your accommodation through the net. It’s easy and convenient, it’s open 24 hours! There is this one site that is really helpful to travelers-to-be, easytobook.com. you can book a hotel in any destination of your choosing, be it fashionable London, modern New York, romantic Prague, or exotic Barcelona. Using this site can save you a lot of time and trouble, since you don’t have to hop from one site to another looking for the appropriate hotel that fits your preference and budget.

So go on and book your flight and accommodations early! Bon voyage!

malling with hubby and bea

just came home from an afternoon of malling. sent our nanny home early with the condition that she comes tomorrow, a sunday. we were supposed to go to mapua first so that hubby can request for a transcript of records from his alma mater, but we realized that we were not going to be able to beat the 5:00 deadline, so we decided to just go to SM City instead. we went and bought long-sleeved shirts for hubby, some ties and a belt. stuff he needs for his new job. =)
after the shopping spree for hubby, we decided to eat at burger king. when we got there, we discovered that they didn't serve apple juice and spaghetti anymore. we didn't want bea to dring soda, so i had to buy some juice and spaghetti from jollibee. (bea's fave)

after dinner, we went strolling... we let bea lose from her stroller, and she just went off... walking/running from one shop to another, laughing out loud. =) it's been a while since i last visited this mall, it has changed a LOT! for the better. they have new shops, a new portion, the block, and a lot more improvements. we took bea to toy kingdom, she just loved it!

fun fun fun!

photo hunt::: flexiible

this week's theme is flexible. i can't think of anything else. so, i twisted my fingers and took a picture with my camera phone... tada! we used to this as kids, pretending we were crabs and these are our pincers. why we do it, i don't really know.... hehehe... out of boredom i guess! =)

friday's feast

Appetizer
Which snack do you like to get when you go to the movies?
the usual, sour cream flavored popcorn and soda.

Soup
What year did you start using the internet?
hmmm. i can't really remember. probably '98 or '99

Salad
What is your first name in Pig Latin? (Here’s how to speak it if you don’t already know!)
arenkay... hehehe

Main Course
Name something you are picky about.
fruits, i try to eat only fresh ones.
and utensils. i can only eat if i have matching spoon and fork. i'm uncomfortable eating with mismatched spoon and fork =)

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: I ______yesterday and I ____ ____ today
i wasn't able to go online yesterday and i plan to make up for lost time today. =)

flowers for me?

there was a time when i used to badger my hubby about his not giving me flowers anymore…like he used to… years ago. I would sing “you don’t bring me flowers” by Barbra. This is a double whammy coz my singing is intended to annoy him more… =)

then now, after years of marriage, I am more on the practical side. I see flowers as the pretty little expensive temporary things that they are…

of course I’d be lying to myself if I say that I’d be happy never to see a single bud ever again. *wink* *wink* *hint* *hint*

the medium

last night hubby and i finally finished the 2nd season of prison break. at last! then we started our new series... the medium with patricia arquette. at least with this one, whenever an episode ends, you have a sense of closure since a case is often resolved, unlike with prison break, every end of episode leaves you drooling for more... oh well. last night we were able to go sleep after only one episode of medium. hehehe...

i just wish she'd get rid of her bangs or at least try a new hairstyle... =)

cranky bea and answered prayer!

bea has been so cranky these past few days! we can't understand why. she'd wake up crying in the middle of the night, a couple of times a night! yes, we are really bothered by this. why is she so cranky? is she coming down with something? is there something bothering her, an ache somewhere in her body... i try to ask her but the wailing just continues. it takes a long time before we can pacify her... usually by carrying her.

we are all so tired. patience is wearing thin. last night hubby and i prayed over her, asking God to cover her with His mantle of protection, from any harm and illness. then, a miracle happened. she slept like a baby! no more crying, no more tossing and turning. a good night's rest! Thank you Lord!

St. Luke's Medical Center - Philippines

according to the St. Luke's website:


The foremost and the most admired hospital in the Philippines




Today it is the foremost and most admired hospital in the Philippines and an acknowledged leader in Asia. St. Luke's delivers on its mission of healing by gathering under one roof the finest medical expertise, the most sophisticated medical technology and facilities, and a deep-rooted culture of compassion. It supports this mission with research and continuing education for those who serve. The total dedication to quality and caring of the St. Luke's family is what distinguishes the hospital as a center of healthcare excellence in Asia.


when bea got sick we brought her to st. luke's since her pedia holds her clinic there. we stayed in "kiddie land" for 3.5 days... from sunday night to wednesday afternoon. we were checked in a semi-private room. there are two patients to an air-conditioned room. we shared a bathroom, which had lukewarm water and was clean. we had enough space. we had cabinets, drawers and tables to put our stuff in. companions had a long upholstered bench to sleep on. they changed the sheets everyday, plus whenever the patients soil their sheets (which was often in our case!). they cleaned the room twice a day, and gave us a roll of tissue paper and soap everyday. personnel were very courteous. they assigned a nurse per patient, which was ok with us since the assigned nurse really did focus her attention on bea whenever she came in the room, which was often, and usually with a trainee in tow. they had a pantry nearby where they had a hot/cold water dispenser, bottle sterilizer and a microwave oven available for anyone to use.





food was great! except for one dish (i think it was meatloaf, but it didn't taste good) everything else was yummy! they thought about the presentation too. who said hospital food had to taste bleech?! too bad i wasn't able to get pictures of every meal, they were that appetizing to look at, that we usually just dived in!


the bill was a bit steep as expected, they bill you for every needle they poke in your body. so what if they didn't get the needle in your vain the first time? they'd just open another pack and bill you for everything... we even got billed for a ROLL of plaster... for the plaster the used to tape in the IV to bea's hand. i told the nurse i think they ony used a couple of inches, definitely not a ROLL, so i took whatever was left of the plaster home.... i paid for it anyway. =)


for every day that we stayed there, i was getting uneasy, i knew the bills were getting higher. good thing they had an online billing system where in you can inquire about your latest bill. you can choose to see just the total amount... or a detailed list of everything charged to you, every medicine, every cotton ball...(i suggest this one so you can check if you actually used all those items) and you can print it too. so you can go back quietly to your room, look at your latest billing and PANIC privately. lol!

in fairness, they reversed the cost of some unused medicines without me asking them. =)



when we were ready to leave, a representative from the pharmacy talked to us about the followup medicines bea had to take, the dosage, the duration... this was something new, in the past the doctors were the ones who usually do this.


hospitalizations are never good experiences, the stress, the sleepless nights, the expenses, at least St. Luke's (despite of or because of the high bill) made our stay a bit more bearable. i really felt they gave extra effort to make their patients feel comfortable and well-taken care off.

photo hunters:: classic

it's been a while, but i'm back photo hunting... this week's theme is classic and what i am posting is the classic comfort food for many people, hubby and me included... PIZZA!!!

friday's feast # 167

Appetizer
How much money do you plan to spend this upcoming holiday season?
i plan not to spend so much this year. we are neck-deep in debt as it is... =)of course i would love to get nice things for my daughter, she'd be the exception.

Soup
What was the last television show you watched, and was it good?
i am watching prison break. it is soooo addicting! last night i watched cold case. i love this series too!

Salad
If you had to paint the walls of your living room tomorrow, what color would you choose?
i'd color it blue. i always loved the color blue, with yellow accents.

Main Course
Name something clever or practical you have thought of that should be invented, but hasn’t yet.
an intelligent car horn that can shout out expletives whenever you encounter jerks on the road. it should be able to detect the degree of stupidity being encountered by the driver... and shout out the appropriate messages... (talk about road rage!)

Dessert
List 3 things you would like to receive as gifts this upcoming holiday season.
a new digital camera, mp3 player, psp (yep, i am a techie!)

it's been a while since i joined the feast... it's great to be back!

bea's new do

thanks to the declared holiday today, nov 2, hubby and i got to stay home today with our bea. sadly our nanny copped out on us again, since one of her kids is sick... again. oh well. anyway, i think we coped just fine. too bad hubby didn't get that much rest. =(

i took the chance to give little bea a haircut. i just trimmed her bangs, although daddy kept on saying i cut them too short, i think her hair looks just fine. =)

we went back to the cemetery today to visit her grandparents from daddy's side.... and of course mommy is not about to miss this photo op!