Mauie Flores

Lent has officially started last Wednesday with the imposition of the ashes. I was fortunate not only because I was able to find a nearby church with a 12 noon mass but also because my blood sugar was stable enough to enable me to fast. Actually, it wasn't fasting like what our faith dictates (just eating one main meal for the day) but I was able to survive with just a piece of bread for breakfast, tuna and bread for lunch, and just watermelons for dinner.

Today is the first meatless Friday for us Roman Catholics. Ever since, I have been strict in not cooking meat during Lent in my household. Later tonight, we will just have fried fish and monggo soup. I am sure that not only will my spirituality benefit from this little sacrifce but my health as well. I will not need even one of those top diet pills to make me lose weight this season.

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Have you watched the 2009 Oscars? Well, I did not have the chance to watch it live because I was at work. I was able to catch the Red Carpet show done by E! though. I enjoyed seeing the stars walk on the red carpet and have been busy mentally comparing the gowns of the stars. I just noticed that most of the actresses wore gowns either topped with sexy corsets or bustiers. So it seemed that it is the "in thing" in Hollywood fashion at present. This could probably be because of the rise of period films this year in Hollywood. "Australia", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", and "Revolutionary Road" are examples of these period movies.

My favorite corset gown of the night was the one worn by Penelope Cruz. Most critics did not like her nude colored gown on the red carpet but I think that it did well in highlighting her fabulous Latina tan. I did not quite like Sarah Jessica Parker's Cinderella inspired gown because I personally think that she's way mature for that. It would have been better if she was wearing Vanessa Hudgens' black corset mermaid gown and Hudgens wearing hers.

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I have already written how we applied for a Pag-ibig Housing Loan for our Php 2.5 M home here in Cainta. Our loan was approved in 2007, a few months after we moved in, but only for Php 1.6 M. For thirty years, we will be paying the monthly amortization of around 16 thousand pesos. We have already done our part as buyers when it comes to submitting the required documents. We left the rest of the responsibility to our developer to go on with the other procedures like the transfer of title and mortgage processing. We paid around 53 thousand pesos for the transfer tax by the way. Here's the funny part, the loan application was made in 2007 and our developer has not taken out the 1.6 million peso payment from Pag-ibig yet. It's their fault, not ours. They had administrative problems during the duration of our loan application process that they failed to complete the required documents. So from November 2007 up to the present, we have not paid a single cent for the monthly amortization. I am not so happy about this though because it will just mean that instead of having our loan end in 2037, it will be in 2039 or 2040. My goodness, Ralph will be 40 years old by then! I hope we can restructure the loan or pay out the whole amount in a few years to save us from paying the annual interest.

Yesterday, we went back to the developer's office to hand over a 12 thousand peso cheque as payment for the annotation fee required by Pag-ibig. It turned out that the developer's office had a major staff reorganization and our file is one of those countless files that they finally decided to follow up. At least, we now know that they are starting with the leg work again and that they will be shouldering the penalties for the late submission and all. However, since we shelled out the 12 thousand pesos unexpectedly, my home re-decorating plans will be postponed. Oh bummer... to think that I am planning to get some industrial knobs to replace the ones that we already have to make our doors more secure. Hmm... I guess letting the dogs out of their cages at night is an option. What do you think?

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Thursday night, I was doing my routine multi-tasking mommy duties while tucking my son to bed. It has been a habit of mine to talk about the day's happenings in school and his daily concerns. As I was arranging his school uniform for the following day, I hear him sobbing under the covers. That's when I heard that my boy is being bullied in school... again.

At first, I thought that the problem was a simple incident of name callings and teasings. I let him pour his heart out to me and realized that this is a serious matter. He is stressed out and he tells me that he doesn't have a lot of friends in school. It bothers me that my eight-year old is experiencing this in school when it is supposed to be his second home. All the while I thought he was at his best in school being an achiever and all. He made me cry too. I was hurt and all I can do was to talk to him about it and make him feel better. I choose to let him fight his own battles but I am thinking of writing a strong letter to his homeroom adviser as well.

It's disappointing to know that my son is in class with other mean kids. Still, I feel for the bullies because the behavior is just the result of what they are going through as well. Most bullies come from families who fail to give them attention. So instead of thinking what has happened to these boys, I tend to think about how their parents are treating them. All this thinking is stressing me out too. I just wish that I can benefit from it somehow by losing weight and not needing to take Anoretix.

We'll be heading out somewhere this weekend for a little R&R for our boy. We need to show him more love to lighten up his load and lessen my worries over him as well.

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I have just received news from my husband that we will be spending the company summer outing at Subic, Zambales. Going to the beach is one summer activity that I totally dread. I am not so comfortable wearing swimsuits and expose my flabs! Because I have also started to accept the fact that this beach outing will be in April and I don't have enough time to lose more in such a short period of time, I started to take some emergency measures.

I remember an aunt of mine who looked slimmer and that her only secret was she only had turnips for dinner. I love turnips so much and I can eat them the whole day. I have started eating turnips not only for dinner but also for snack as well. Hopefully, with this new plan, I can finally stop taking the diet pill that eats so much of my personal budget.

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One of the most common parts of automobiles are windshield wipers. Today's cars cannot do without a windshield wiper - not to mention that they now function at variable speeds. Do you know that back in the 1960s, windshield wipers function manually, meaning the driver has to click it on everytime to get rid of the pouring rain blocking his view? This was all before Bob Kearns, the inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper, had his flash of genius in 1967 and came up with his "Kearns Blinking Eye Windshield Wiper".

I would never have placed so much thought on my car's windshield wiper until I came to watch this movie. "Flash of Genius" is the story about Bob Kearns (played by Greg Kinnear) and his 12-year battle with Ford Motors for the right to be known as the inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper. He defended himself, with the help of his children, in court to prove that Ford Motors has used his invention and failed to give him the rightful credit. He was awarded $10 million dollars in winning the case against Ford Motors and another million dollars against Chrysler.

Let's admit it, being consumers, we oftentimes fail to appreciate the little mechanisms that make our big appliances and machines work. We fail to recognize the time and effort devoted by most unknown and underappreciated inventors who just wanted to make life better for all of us. We often just appraise the brand and never the people behind them. This movie got me think about the geniuses that we often take for granted. As a teacher, I think I should start knowing more and spreading the word about them.

As I am writing this, I look at my watch and wonder whoever started making them and find out that Hamilton watches are the first ones to run on batteries. I am now ending this post since I have to research more on who's flash of genius this might be. You better start looking around and doing your own little researches too.

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As parents, it should be second nature to us to make everything alright for the family. Death is inevitable. As most people say, the only things that are sure to happen in this world are births, deaths, and taxes. Having said so, we should be prepared for death, don't you think?

One of the things a young couple should be getting is a mortgage life insurance for their home. This kind of insurance protects the principal loan maker in the event of him/her passing away. It means that should the principal dies, a death benefit will be made available to the beneficiaries to pay off the remaining balance of the mortgage. Somehow, I felt relieved that our PAG-IBIG loan has this feature. Who knows what will happen in 30 years? It still pays to be insured and assured of the fact that our child has a home to call his own should anything happens to us.

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I only had an early morning class yesterday and it allowed me to visit the clinic first before heading home. I already had a repeat urinalysis done last Saturday and the results were catastrophic because not only there's still the presence of protein in my urine but the presence of blood got +++ results!

Anyway, the doctor confirmed that I was experiencing another event of urinary tract infection and I was quite surprised that I was experiencing one without me having the usual obvious symptoms. If it were not for the routine urinalysis done on me, I wouldn't have known that I was having an infection! There was no pain or fever at all unlike the past bouts I had with UTI. I was given antibiotics that cost me 750 bucks and somehow it felt good knowing that I can reimburse the amount from my health care provider.

My sister came by my place late noon and she saw the bottle of my cranberry capsules, one of my maintenance diabetic medicines. When you are diabetic, not only are your pancreas in trouble but your kidneys as well. I told her how expensive the cranberry capsules are and she promised me that she will give me a bottle of cranberry bottles from their store (she's a pharmacist by the way) once I'm done with my existing bottle. If I have known that they had this product all along, I would have asked it from her right away. Theirs are way cheaper than the one I'm using which is sold exclusively in a leading drug store even when it is on sale.

So there. Proteinuria case solved, hopefully. I will have the repeat urinalysis after the treatment I am having so we will know from there. Still, I am optimistic.

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Another social networking site is up in the web and I was as curious as a cat to sign up and try it. I do not normally join social networking sites right away, not unless they have something new to offer. Currently, I maintain three four networking sites: Friendster, Facebook, and Multiply. I have been neglecting my Friendster profile recently in favor of Facebook because of the webcam thingy that comes up in the testimonials section. I maintain my Multiply account because most of my online shopping buddies are in Multiply.

I recently signed up for Acobay, a new social networking site that aims to connect people through the stuff they own. It was quite an interesting concept for me that I readily signed up. First, I thought that it would be nice to get first hand reviews on stuff that I normally Google up. Of course, it would be nice to read personal reviews than press releases, don't you think?

I am still in the process of adding more stuff into my profile. Hopefully, people who own the same stuff as mine will appear in my network and we can start exchanging notes about them. I will keep you posted on updates I promise. In the meantime, why don't you sign up as well?

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Finally, I had the time to read "Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella. For convenience's sake, I also had the e-book uploaded to my mobile phone which became handy today as I brought my son to his pediatrician and orthopedic doctor. I have just started reading yesterday (currently in Chapter Nine) and will probably finish it over the weekend. So for now, I can only give a part of what I think about the book.

To those who haven't read it yet, the story is about Becky Bloomwood, a sweet girl living the irony of being a financial journalist in deep debt. Her financial troubles are caused by her shopping addiction. Do I see myself in her? Honestly, no. I dread mall sales and, as I have written a couple of times, I only shop when I need something. However, I am quite amazed on how Sophie Kinsella has cleverly described Becky's feelings as she touched her latest find. In the back of my mind, I was thinking "Is there really such a condition as a shopping addiction?" I cannot fully relate but I am so entertained with the play of words that is so noticeable among British authors. Come to think of it, I even enjoyed reading this book more than the Twilight Saga.

I cannot wait to finish the book. I am quite anxious on how her "Make More Money" plan works out as her "Cut Back on Costs" failed. I am also excited on what her new shopping finds will be. Should she be buying diet pills on impulse? I will not be surprised at all by the rate of how often she dines out in expensive restaurants.

This will be my review for now. The rest will have to wait until I have already read the last page of the novel.

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Marahil ay nabigla kayo sa aking lahok ngayon linggong ito? Akala ko ba puso ang tema? Eh bakit si Rap ang nandiyan? Ganito kasi yan...

You are probably wondering why this is my entry for the week. If the theme for this week is "heart" then what is my son's photo doing on that spot. Here's why...

Lingid sa kaalaman ng mga bago naming kakilala, si Rap ay nagkaroon ng Kawasaki Disease dalawang linggo bago niya ipagdiwang ang ika-apat niyang kaarawan. Ang Kawasaki Disease ay isang sakit sa puso na karaniwang tumatama sa mga batang limang taon pababa.

Most of our new friends do not know that Rap had Kawasaki Disease two weeks before he celebrated his fourth birthday. Kawasaki Disease is an uncommon heart disease that affects children five years old and below.

Nilalagnat siya noon at maraming mga rashes sa kanyang braso, hita, at tiyan. Ayaw niyang tumayo at maglakad dahil masakit daw ang mga paa niya kapag itinatapak sa lupa. Namula ang kanyang mga mata na parang may sore eyes at namumula ang mga dila at labi. Dinala ko sa doktor at ang sabi ay tigdas lang. Binigyan ako ng isang linggo para obserbahan siya. Isang linggo rin kaming naka paracetamol.

He had fever and rashes on his arms, thighs, and tummy. He didn't want to stand up because the soles of his feet hurt everytime they touch the ground. His eyes were blood red just like when one has sore eyes and his lips and tongue were blood red too. The pediatrician told us that it could be measles. I was advised to observe him for a week and he was only given paracetamol for the fever.

Inabot ang lagnat niya ng 11 araw. Nangingitim na at nagbabalat ang dulo ng kanyang mga daliri. Nung dinala uli namin sa klinika, alam na agad ng doktor na Kawasaki Disease nga. Hanggang ngayon daw ay hindi alam kung anong nagdadala ng sakit na iyon dahil hindi nga siya pangkaraniwan.

On the 11th day of his fever, his fingertips became blue and the skin near his nail beds peeled. The doctor finally diagnosed that it was Kawasaki Disease. Up to now, researchers are still finding concrete evidences on what causes the disease.

Na-confine agad siya sa ospital. Ni-rekomenda agad ng cardiologist niya na bumili kami ng sampung IVIG (intravenous immuno gamma globulin) na kinakailangan ng puso niya. Ito kasi ang magpapaliit ng pamamaga ng mga ugat ng puso niya na nagiging dahilan ng lagnat niyang hindi mawala. Pinainom din siya ng aspirin para hindi lumapot ang kanyang dugo at hindi mahirapan ang mga ugat ng kanyang puso. Agad-agad akong nagtawag sa kung saan saang ospital para sa IVIG na iyon. Kailangang mag-window shop at ang pinakamura ay nasa sampung libo isang botelya. Hindi covered ng aming insurance ang ganoong kalaking halaga kaya't naisip na rin namin noon na maghanap ng buyer ng aming kotse.

He was confined in the hospital. His cardiologist told us to buy 10 vials of IVIG (intravenous immuno gamma globulin) that his heart needs. This medicine will treat the swelling of the vessels of his heart. He was also given aspirin so his blood will not be thick enough to cause strain on his blood vessels. I started to look for the cheapest supplier of IVIG. The cheapest the I was able to find was at ten thousand pesos a vial. The large amount needed for the purchase cannot covered by our medical insurance and we already thought of selling the car.

Ewan ko ba pero, siguro dahil marami na ring nagdasal para sa amin, bigla na lang bumababa ang lagnat niya. Nadala sa pag-inom ng aspirin, pagmamahal, at pagdarasal ika nga. Natuwa ang aming mabait na pediatrician. Hindi na raw kailangan ang IVIG at makakaiwas na kami sa gastos. Iyon nga lang, hindi ito garantiya na ligtas na siya sa pag-atake muli ng sakit paglaki niya o kung mayroon mang mga kumplikasyon. Hindi rin kasi nila alam dahil hindi pare-pareho ang mga datos tungkol sa mga pasyenteng nagkaroon ng Kawasaki.

His fever miraculously subsided probably because there were so many people praying for us. My son was healed with only aspirin, love, and prayers. Our pediatrician advised us not to buy the IVIG vials anymore but she did not guarantee that there will be no more repeat attacks or complications. She wasn't that sure because there were no concrete data available yet regarding the future of patients who have had the disease.

May mga nakilala rin akong mga Pilipinong magulang na may mga anak na nagkaroon ng Kawasaki. Lahat sila ay bumili ng IVIG dahil nga sa ika-apat na araw pa lang ng lagnat ay nalaman na agad ang sakit ng anak nila. Sabi nila sa akin, dapat daw ay nag-IVIG na rin kami. Ang sabi naman ng doktor namin, wala nang magagawa ang IVIG dahil naka-11 araw na ang lagnat ng anak ko. Dapat daw ay nasa ika-4 na araw lang ng lagnat kung ibibigay ito. Sa tingin ko naman ay ayos na ang lagay niya dahil pagkatapos ng isang taon ng pabalik balik na check-up at echocardiogram ay nasiguro na ng mga doktor niya na malusog na uli ang kanyang puso. Sa katunayan nga, noong 6 na taong gulang na siya ay nag-football varsity pa siya sa Don Bosco Makati. Goal keeper pa! Nananalig na lang kami sa Panginoon na kung sakali mang bumalik ang sakit niya ay hindi Niya uli pababayaan ang kaisa-isa naming anak.

I was able to meet up with other Filipino parents who have kids who had the disease but all of these kids had the IVIG treatment. They told me that we should have asked the doctors to give IVIG to our son instead. But our doctors said that the IVIG treatment will not have any effect on our son anymore because it was supposed to be given on the fourth day of fever. I think my son is okay now. Even the countless check-ups and echocardiograms within the year after his bout with the disease showed that his heart is healthy now. He was even the goal keeper of his school's football team in Don Bosco Makati when he was 6 years old. I just have this firm faith on the Lord that He will take care of our only son if he suffers from the disease again.

Pasensya na sa larawan ha. Noong 2004 kasi ay wala pa kaming digicam. Kaya ayan, kinuhanan ko na lang ang pahina ng scrapbook ko na inilaan ko para sa mga larawang kuha noong kanyang ika-apat na kaarawan sa beach. Naging espesyal ang araw na iyon dahil alam naming nalusutan niya ang Kawasaki.

I'm so sorry for the blurry photo. That was in 2004 when we still had no digicam. I just took a shot of the page in my scrapbook remembering his fourth birthday at the beach. That day was very special because we know that we are also celebrating his triumph over Kawasaki Disease.

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I was tagged by iMom!

Here are the rules of this tag:

1. Write down who tagged you.

2. Answer these:

-your name / username / pseudo

-right-handed or left-handed?

-your favorite letters to write?

-your least favorite letters to write?

- Write “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”

3. Tag five persons.

I have not been writing in cursive for the longest time. Probably, I got used to writing in print for my preschool students for a couple of years that I don't feel comfortable writing in cursive anymore. I really wish I was a leftie because most lefties I know have nice penmanship.

I hope Ibyang, Jennie, Toni, Rachel, and Liz have fun doing this tag as I did!





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