Mauie Flores

Thank God, I was able to deliver groceries to my parents' home today! My mom has been calling about how hard it is for them to buy food inside the village. We were finally able to get in the village through the Taytay gate. I wasn't able to get out of the car though. We had to park near the clubhouse along Tulip St. because the water is still high along Chestnut Street.

Going inside the village through the Pasig gate is almost impossible. As of today, I have received reports that the flood water in Mercedes Avenue and Sandoval Avenue can reach up to his waist. The village offers free rides to its residents going out of the village to Pasig. My brother tells me that for a few days now, he rides a truck from Greenwoods to Rotonda, Pasig.

Here are some photos I took while we were inside Greenwoods:


Sandalwood Street


Tulip Street. This road leads to my parents' home, the one at the end of this street.
My sister and I were talking about my dad's SUV that was parked in her place in Vista Verde when the great flood happened. As it turned out, the SUV would have been submerged deeper in the flood if it was parked in Greenwoods. This is also one of our big problems after the flood. The SUV needs to be repaired and some of the truck accessories need to be replaced. Not to mention that we need to pay my youngest brother's tuition fee next week as it is already their final examinations for this semester. The flood really came in a bad timing but we're hanging on. I believe that all of this shall pass and the Lord will give us more blessings to replace what we have lost.

Read More

Last Saturday, September 26, 2009, was just like any ordinary weekend for us except that it was raining very hard. The bed weather made it impossible for me to resist sleeping in. We were supposed to bring my feverish child to the doctor but we were late so we postponed our visit to the clinic to a later schedule. I did my usual online tasks while looking after my son. My brother posted this in his Facebook account:


We were still exchanging funny comments. We didn't know that the disaster was just starting. According to him, when he entered his comment made at 10:53 am, the flood waters came rushing in. He did not even have time to shut the computer properly. He just pulled the plugs and carried the CPU, monitor, and printer and placed it in the topmost shelf of his bedroom cabinet. That was also the same time when power went out and I was convinced that it was serious.

After an hour he calls me up via his wireless landline phone and informs me that the house is submerged in neck-high flood water. He said that him and my brother-in-law were on top of my dad's Toyota Hilux. Thank goodness that the garage was on higher ground. They would have probably went up to the roof if the car wasn't there. My sister was taking her IELTS exam in Ortigas that day and she wasn't around.

I found it unbelievable at first because there was no flooding inside our village. A few moments later, the househelp calls my attention while standing in our second floor veranda. There I saw the village behind ours submerged in flood water.


We tried to drive the car to the nearest supermarket to buy supplies but the flood outside the village gate was high too. My husband and houseboy ended up walking through the waist-deep flood just so we can get some food, candles, water, batteries, and my son's medicine. While they were away, I hauled food from our pantry to my son's room upstairs.


I was sleepless that unforgettable Saturday night. Aside from thinking about the situation of my brother and brother-in-law in Vista Verde, I was also worried about my sister who was stranded in SM Megamall, my parents who were in Greenwoods, San Andres, Cainta, and my nephew who was with my brother's in-laws in Doña Petra in Marikina City. I stayed up all night waiting for updates over the radio and for messages sent to my phone. My sister was the first one to send me an SMS that she made it to her in-laws' place in Cubao. My parents' place was submerged in waist-deep flood water but the house was not flooded. Up to now, we still do not have news about the whereabouts of my nephew but we received the good news that he and his grandmother were rescued from the roof their home. We just need to know where he is staying right now.

The following morning, I was thankful to see my brother and brother-in-law walking towards our place, each of them with a 5-gallon bottle of water. As it turned out, they swam the flooded Imelda Avenue using the water bottle as a life saver. They swam for two hours to reach us even though we were just one barangay away. They were so hungry from spending the night without food and water.


That Sunday afternoon, my husband and I walked through the flood to buy food in the public market. These are just some of the depressing scenes I saw along the way.








Now I know how Noah must have felt during the great flood. News reports said that 95% of Cainta was under water. I guess we are the remaining 5% of the town's population who stayed dry that night. I had mixed emotions thanking the Lord that He saved us and our belongings from the flood. However, I also felt sad for the people who were affected by it. My sister and brother, for instance, were not able to save their furniture and electric appliances. Their clothes are now all wet and muddy. At least, it is still a consolation to know that everyone is safe. Material possessions can always be replaced, anyway. But you can never bring back a lost family member.

The waters have subsided in most parts of our town but we haven't fully recovered yet. Food and drinking water is still scarce. In fact, we needed to go to Quezon City just to be able to buy more food and drinking water. My hopes are still high, though. We'll get by and things will be better one day at a time.

Read More

I'm not so much of a fruit person but I love to eat apples. I guess that I have slowly taught myself to live with my condition and that apples are the safest fruits for me. You see, there are fruits that diabetics can't eat and these are mostly the ones who are sweet and are less in fiber content compared to apples. The pectin in apples is instrumental in detoxification and aids in lowering blood glucose levels.

When it comes to fruits that are not recommended for diabetics, the web has countless of conflicting resources. One site says that eating mangoes and bananas is not good while another says that it is ok to eat them 2-3 times a day. On the other hand, this site specifically tells diabetics to stay away from dates, prunes, and watermelons.

Living with diabetes has taught me to eat in moderation. I still eat mangoes when they are in season but I limit my intake to just one slice a day. I am also fond of eating watermelons especially during the summer months. I don't eat sweets in the evening and this applies to eating sweet fruits, too. I guess it won't hurt to have other sweet fruits every now and then. At least, it is for me.

If you are a diabetic, it would be better to know what fruits make your blood glucose rise quickly and to avoid eating them especially when you know that your blood glucose level is high. When in doubt, avoid everything else except apples. Processed apples, of course, are not included.

Read More

Part of my vigilance in keeping informed about living with diabetes is subscribing to newsletters for diabetics. I am delighted to know that LifeandDiabetes.com.ph is now sending 30-day Diabetes Tips for its subscribers. I find their articles not only informative but very Filipino as well.

One of the tips that I have received is about fighting fat with kanin lamig (cooled rice). The article written by Nadine Tengco says that eating cooled rice in moderation can actually help us lose weight because of its levels of resistant starch. Resistant starch is the kind of starch that goes straight to the large intestine and acts as fiber for better digestion. It got me so interested that I started to read more about this from other sources.

Other than cooled rice, resistant starch can also be found in navy beans, raw banana, cold potato, lentils, cold pasta, oatmeal, wholegrain bread, and brown rice.

In the past, starch has been thought to be fully digested and transformed into glucose in the small intestine. Researches made over the last few decades showed that resistant starch exist and that these help in maintaining good bacteria in the large intestine. Good bacteria, meanwhile, produce short chain fatty acids that lowers blood cholesterol levels.

Raw plant products like potatoes and bananas have a high amylose content that is resistant to digestion. When starchy foods are cooked, gelatinization happens which makes starch become easily digested by the body. When cooked food is cooled, the gelatinized starch is transformed to crystalline form that makes it once again resistant to digestion.

Diabetics can benefit from eating foods rich in resistant starch since this kind of starch is absorbed slowly and cannot raise glucose levels quickly. Also, because of the slowness of absorption, resistant starch can help prevent hypoglycemia especially in the middle of the night.

Before you assume that I am already jumping for joy because I can eat cold macaroni salad once again, please know that as with any other foods, I should still eat these in moderation. I found one reading that recommends having only 20 grams a day. It's not that bad when I think of it. At least I can eat pasta once again!

Read More

Hindi sila nagkulang sa paalala. Kapag naaksidente ka pa naman niyan! Maliwanag ba? Teka, hindi pa yata klaro. Eto pa ang isa...


Nakakaloka talaga itong mga karatulang naka-sabit sa Asin Hot Springs Resort sa Tuba,Benguet. Ang paglangoy namin dito ay isa lang sa mga side trip namin noong kami ay bumisita sa Baguio noong 2008. Di ko nga akalain na may hot spring dito samantalang napakalamig sa Baguio. Hindi ko rin akalain na ganito pala kakulit ng mga tao dito Hahaha!

The photos of these crazy signs were taken on our trip to Asin Hot Springs Resort in Tuba, Benguet.

Read More

My high school classmates and I are currently having a good time spamming each other's inboxes. A former classmate posted our old 4th Year High School class photo in his Facebook album and tagged everyone. As of today, total comments are at 370 and counting. It's nice to reconnect with people you have grown and matured with.


Adamson University High School St. Peter Class Batch 1995
Can you find me?
I can say I really had a good time during high school. 'Twas the time when I was fully able to let my hair down and forget about the stress of having to maintain my grades for honors. I was Valedictorian in grade school and I ended up only having a Loyalty Award come graduation time in high school. Heck, I had the best time of my life! Never mind the grades, at least, I had true friends.

The reason why we never had a prom was because the school administrators had to teach us a "lesson". Our whole class had an impromptu after-retreat party in our class president's home. It was a spur-of-the moment decision in my part. My co-officers in the Student Government were part of it so I went straight to the nearest pay phone and called my mom to ask permission. My mom was cool about it as long as I had the money to bring myself to Parañaque. We had no class the following day because it was designated as our rest day. We were unaware that a classmate did not ask permission and it was her mom who called up the school authorities. The following school day was chaos. The class officers and student body officers were sent to the Principal's office and we were asked to give a explanation. They say that we can't have a prom because they cannot trust us anymore. I just laugh about it now that I remember it.

Not having to experience a prom night wasn't really a big issue for me. For one, you wouldn't catch me wearing a cocktail dress! Secondly, it spared us from the expenses. But the incident, apparently, did not allow closure to happen at least for some of us. We are scheduling a mini get together and some are suggesting of having a prom night! Oh please! I don't want to browse sites of the best diet supplements in the market today just to make me quickly lose weight for that. I find it amusing, though. I guess how we celebrate the event will not matter to me at all. I am just excited to catch up with everyone!

Read More

How would you like to have a phone that you can dress up whatever you like? Now, you can! Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's lightest yet fully-functional phone, the customizable and modular modu™ phone is sure to be an eye candy for techy and gadget enthusiasts out there.


Globe Telecom and modu™ Ltd. has recently signed up a partnership to bring this breakthrough phone to the Philippines. modu™ phones only weigh 1.5 oz. yet fully loaded with a music player, mass storage device, and a 2 GB memory. It was founded in 2007 by Dov Moran, inventor of the USB Flash Drive (DiskonKey™) and other groundbreaking personal storage solutions. Globe will be distributing the phones locally through its exclusive distributor Lynk Communications.

I'll keep you updated on its retail price. For now, just visit www.modumobile.com to view the product catalog and see for yourself the awesome jackets that this tiny phone can fit into. I think I'm gonna head out to the nearest Globe Business Center to have a look feel of this cutie. Now I know where to slip my new Globe Tattoo sim in! [insert Plurk evil_smirk emoticon here] Haha!

Read More

Ang mga larawang ito ay kuha mula sa aming lakad nitong nakaraang long weekend. Walang kaplano-plano, basta na lang naisip namin noong Linggo ng gabi na papasyal kami sa La Mesa Ecopark. Nakakahiya mang aminin, laking Maynila ako pero first time kong makarating dito.


Masarap maglakad lalo na kung presko ang lugar at maraming halaman. Nakaka-mangha talaga na mayroon palang ganitong paraiso sa Quezon City. Salamat na lang sa mga naka-isip na i-preserve ang La Mesa Watershed. Sa pagbisita lang namin dito at sa pagbayad ng 50 pesos na entrance fee ay nakatulong na kami sa pagpapaganda ng lugar.

Ito nga pala ang hagdan na aming inakyat para masilayan ang watershed. Hindi pwedeng kumuha ng litrato o video sa itaas kaya ito na lang ang aking souvenir.


Mas lalong presko sa itaas pero talaga namang nakakapagod. Heto nga't pagkababa ay umupo na lang ako sa pinakamalapit na pwedeng maupuan. Uy, naka-LP t-shirt pala ako!



Bisitahin niyo ang aking travel blog para makita ang mas marami pang larawan at kwento. Nag-boating at zipline pa kasi kami pagkatapos nito.

These photos were taken during our recent visit to La Mesa Ecopark. It's really a shame that it's my first time to visit the place. It's amazing to discover that a place like this exists in busy Quezon City. By visiting the place and paying the minimal entrance fee of 50 pesos, we have already done our share in contributing to the preservation of the La Mesa Watershed. The photo of the steps to the watershed is my only souvenir because taking of pictures and videos of the watershed is prohibited. Going up is very tiring but the breathtaking scenery up there made it all worth it. To view more pictures and to read more about our trip, please visit my travel blog. We road a boat and the zipline after that.


Like this post? Click this to subscribe to this blog by email.

Read More