Old School, New School, New Life

My school girls are starting in their new school come June 15. It's in another city which is a two-hour drive from our current residence. It was not difficult for me to decide to transfer them. I even encouraged them to review for the entrance exams. And to think that one of them, Raia, is only in pre-school and the other, Trinity, is entering the third grade. I've long wanted to send them to this school but we were not prepared financially. But we have been blessed and plans are starting to materialize. I am excited to get them to study in this new school and am equally excited for the opportunity to expand our family business in this city.

Their former school was not bad at all. In fact, it was quite uneasy for me to tell the directress, who have become a friend, that we are transferring the girls. Since it was a small, close-knit school, the girls were able to develop their academic and creative potentials. Most memorable of which was their participation in the school's kiddie dance troupe.

My elder daughter was also given the chance to engage in different academic contests like the Science quizbee at the congressional (district 1) and provincial levels. She won first place in the former but was unsuccessful in the latter. She ended the schoolyear as 2nd honors for academic excellence with a difference of 0.02 from the first.

My younger daughter did not fare badly either. She may not have earned a seat in the honor roll (which I consider my fault because I have been concentrating on my elder girl) but she earned different citations as well. It was for her that joining the kiddie ballerinas have made the bigger difference. She dropped out from ballet class during the first months of training because she said her tummy aches during the bending exercises. She started to take interest again when she watched the ballerinas perform during their Christmas party. After that, she told me she wanted to attend the classes again. She was a revelation during the recitals. There she was, oozing with confidence on stage and showing grace and readiness in their performance. Well, of course, there were times when she missed some steps but no matter, she danced and we were entertained.

After realizing that she can actually dance and people loved it, she went on to volunteer to do an intermission number during their Nutrition Education summer class in Baguio City. My mom was surprised when she raised her hand when the teacher asked for volunteers but I know, she was as proud as I am that all the tuition fees for dance classes and the expenses for the costumes were not wasted.

Again, it was not a bad school. It's just that there are things that have to be prioritized now that the kids are growing and entering higher grade levels. I dream of sending them to the best university in the future (hopefully, it's still UP Diliman, by that time) and I believe that an investment in the present will earn rewards in the future.

Reflection for all Seasons

Here is Lenten reflection sent to me by my best friend in high school.It's worth remembering even beyond the Holy week:

1. Sometimes God breaks our spirit to save our soul.

2. Sometimes, He breaks our hearts to make us whole.

3. Sometimes He sends us pain so we can be stronger.

4. Sometimes, He sends us failures so we can be humble.

5. Sometimes, He sends us illnesses so we can better care for ourselves.

Sometimes, He takes "EVERYTHING" away from us so we can learn the value of everything that we have.

Have a blessed, post Lenten life!

Love in the Time of Acute Gastroenteritis

Fans of Nobel Prize Colombian author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez might lynch me for giving a new and personal twist to his novel "Love in the Time of Cholera" but I can not help it. It's February, the month of love and for eight days in a row, my two beloved daughters had a bout with acute gastroenteritis. One of them had to be taken to the hospital because she was near dehydration while the other is still recovering to this very minute. I wanted to title this as "Love in the Time of Amoebiasis" because lab test of the poo sample of my first daughter showed amoeba. However, official diagnosis says acute gastroenteritis, so there's my title.
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It all started last Saturday morning, February 7. The kids and I have just gone out of bed and the yaya was preparing our breakfast. I noticed my 5-year old daughter, frequenting the bathroom. When asked she said, she was having poo poo. I thought it was just natural. No one has eaten breakfast yet when I heard her throwing up. I rushed to her side and asked what's wrong. She said her tummy aches. I investigated and found out from her later that she finished off her bottled milk which was prepared the night before. So I concluded that it was spoiled milk that's done her.

So stupid of me to think that it may wash off after several visits to the bathroom. By noon, she can no longer stand up so we place a plastic container by her bedside. By then, I knew we had to bring her to the hospital which was an hour travel from where we live. I started calling my mama, who together with my papa, were on the way to the same hospital to visit my aunt who was in the ICU. They told me to wait a while because they planned to make a sidetrip to another aunt. A few minutes after I turned-off my celfone, mama sent an SMS message telling me to get my daughter ready because they changed plans and would instead proceed to my house and bring us to the hospital.

That is LOVE No. 1, the love of lolo's and lola's to their apo's.
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Love # 2

At the emergency room, the doctor and the nurses immediately attended to us. They asked us what happened and when they learned that my little girl was throwing up everything that's given to her, they recommended that we have her admitted to the hospital. Oral medication will be useless they said because she'll throw-up anyway. The medications will have to be injected to the dextrose and besides, she was already showing signs of dehydration. She was actually crying her eyes and heart out, asking my mama and me to give her some water but the doctor said, they'll just have to wet her lips with water.

To make the story short, she was confined on Saturday afternoon and was there until Wednesday morning. In between were the rounds of the pediatrician on deck and the different kinds of nurses: staff nurses, volunteer and student nurses.Some of the nurses pissed us, especially those who were just kids. It was obvious that they didn't know what to do and would only be of little help to our little girl.

There was also one staff nurse who took her temperature with a digital thermometer and declared that she was fever-free because the instrument registered 36 degrees centigrade. But, common sense would say that she has fever because, her whole body was,well, feverish. So I took my old fashioned-mercury dependent thermometer and it registered, 38.5! I rushed back to the nurses station and told him to go back because my thermometer says otherwise. He did not! So my husband went to the other nurses station and asked one of them to get our daughter's temperature. Fortunately, he used the mercury thermometer and it also registered 38.5.

Thankfully, there was only one stupid nurse in that station. Those he replaced him were more efficient and knowing. I particularly like the one who was on duty in the afternoon towards evening, he was the one who tested my daughter if she was allergic to particular medicines. I liked him because he knew how to pacify the kid by assuring her that it will not be painful and he swiftly did the test that it was over before my child noticed it. He was also the one who recognized where a smelly odor was coming from on our second day at the hospital. The student nurses told us it was just the adhesive that was taped to my daughter's hand to a board to prevent her from dislocating her needle (that was attached to the dextrose hose). So they just changed the tape but the smell remained. When the efficient nurse came, he told us it was the board and when he changed everything (board and adhesive), the smelly problem was solved. It is to him that I refer Love # 2, love of a nurse to their patient. I also refer to the love of all other Filipino professionals who have not yet left this country to seek greener pastures abroad.
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Love # 3

And now, the greatest love of them all comes from the man of the house.... my hubby and the kids' Tati. He was the one who slept at the hospital for the whole duration of the confinement even when I was already able to sleep and replace him as bantay. He was also the one who took care of our other daughter who caught the same amoeba and showed the same symptoms three days after her sister got sick with it. When the ate started to throw up and had loose bowel movement, I took her to the same hospital. When the pediatrician made his rounds, he also checked -up our new patient. Fortunately, he told us monitor if she can take in the medicine without throwing up. If that's the case, then she can just rest and be treated at home.

Some of you might say that it's natural, in fact expected for the father to stay and watch over his daughters. Well, I agree but you see, my husband is a very mobile person. He can not stay too long in a confined place. He is also a culinary genius, he is a very picky eater. So imagine him getting served with hospital food. In short, he will never, ever stay in a hospital much more if it will take him 5 days. I expected him to call my in-laws or swap places with me even just for a day but he did not. Obviously, he will do everything for his children even if it meant looking out of the window and counting the cars that come and go in the parking lot beside our own volkswagen.

Ah, but still, he wouldn't eat the hospital food so that became my role, to bring them home-cooked food everyday. This action has made me love him even more and I am sure, it will be one memory that the children will hold dear in their hearts forever too.
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Side story:

When we had my daughter admitted to the hospital, I made the mistake of writing down her brother's birthday instead of hers. They were born on the same month. That mistake cost me two hundred for a poorly constructed affidavit of discrepancy of birthdates. It has also compelled us to pay the hospital fees in full instead of availing my Philhealth benefits at once.

All's well that end well and I hoped that everyone had a healthy and happy Valentine's Day.

25 Random Things About Ami

One reason why Facebook is addicting. I posted this last February 10


1. I actually wished I would get tagged with this 25 random things...

2. My wish was granted and I am forever grateful to a sister who once saved me by hiding my classcards from my parents, hehehe.

3. I had my midlife crisis at the age of 22... well I had my menstruation at the age of ten so probably I will leave this life at the age of 50.

4. But I don't want to die at the age of 50 so I better start exercising and dieting tomorrow. As of my last step on a weighing scale, I was 133 lbs at 4'10" and that was just last week. The doctor said the ideal weight is 100 lbs @ 5 feet so this is definitely one over achievement that I don't need.

5. I enjoy watching "Kakasa ka ba sa Gade 5" but I wish they would change the CHEATS (peak/copy/saved) to something more positive like "GROUP REPORT" or "TEAM WORK"

6. I used to hang out and spend bucks at ORACAFE in Cubao, drinking, learning about my past lives, drinking...

7. I also hang out in Likha DIwa (near Krus Na Ligas) for some drinks, food and runes-reading

8. I can open a bottle of San Miguel beer pale pilsen with a plastic lighter.

9. I used to smoke Marlboro reds but my body naturally rejected it when I got pregnant with my first daughter.

10. My most visited pages are gmail and facebook.

11. I don't view youtube except when The Eraserheads had their reunion concert (the first one).

12. All of my children have two first names, one came from me and the other from the hubby.

13. I do not remember the foods that I especially craved for when I was infanticipating.

14. I easily get pregnant and I easily give birth, so at the count of three, I had a tubal ligation.

15. I had the rare experience of visiting the wastewater treatment plants of AJINOMOTO, SELECTA, OISHI, that Mall in Cainta, a paper factory somewhere in Manila, a denims factory somewhere.

16. I am spending more time answering this random thoughts instead of catching up on work that I have not done since Monday.

17. My second daughter is right now in the hospital because of amoebiasis, we hope she gets discharged tomorrow. Oh, her father is with her in case you're wondering what I am doing answering these random thoughts while she's confined in the hospital.

18. Back in grade school and high school, I used to always win first place in declamation contests and tula but I would rather hone other talents for my children. So I enrolled them in dance and voice lessons because these are more useful during socials and parties.

19. Ah, let me talk about my husband, whom I will tag with this when I'm through. I courted him and he accepted and we're living ever after, not happily always of course. If married couples claim they do, then they're lying!

20. I read the newspapers from the back to the front but I read novels from chapter 1 to the nth chapter, no skipping and getting back.

21. If I miss some more random thoughts about me -self, you can always read my blogs.

22. I miss my friends. Especially those who perfectly understand what I mean even if I don't complete my statements. They're so darn quick-witted that they finish my sentences for me.

23. I once had an officemate who wanted me to explain the joke that I shared. Can you believe him? He never did become my friend.

24. I watched the Filipino version of Family Feud once (how I hate Richard Gomez as its host) and I can't answer a thing about "What activity can't you do alone?"

25. I hate math so if in case I skipped a number, that explains it.

I Support Gary Granada Against GMA 7 (Kapuso Network)

I am not a musician. I am tone-deaf even but I know Gary Granada. I listen to his music. I love his songs. I buy his albums. I watched him sing at concerts for human rights day and yes, I watched his obra "Lean" twice. I am not exactly a fan, but I have great respects for the man!

When I heard about his case against GMA-7, I chose to support him even if I am more Kapuso than Kapamilya. Click here and listen well so you'll understand why. Like I said, I am no musician but by simply listening to his composition and to the jingle of 3Pid pack, I believed him more than ever and learned a lot about music too.

Here are some links that may help you know who Gary Granada is and why we should take his word seriously:

Gary Granada who?

A children's songbook for Peace by Queena Lee-Chua

Music composers mull case against GMA 7

Gary Granada versus GMA 7 Inquirer.net VDO