The World of Second Chances

Nene De Pamilya

July 23, 2012

Life & Love

Reference: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/264476/newstv/reeltime/ang-buhay-ng-mga-nene-de-pamilya-sa-reel-time

I was watching this documentary last night but I didn’t have the courage to finish it.
The story about two young girls working for their family just didn’t sit well on me.
They were stolen of their youth, their time to play and enjoy the beauty of life.
They were finding a living in a place where the weak has no position.
They were busy working instead of resting in front of the television.
How can they ever find time to make their homework?
Jhonalyn and Kulot are just one of the many children who are forced to give up their childhood so as to
bring food and money for their family.
While it’s the parents’ responsibility to provide for their children, some kids take that role now especially
if one or both parents are incapable of working.

On the other hand, the practical side of me wants to commend these kids for being so brave about facing life’s
challenges at an early age. They work hard for their living instead of asking and demanding anything and everything
from the government.
He Married Her Instead Of Me

July 19, 2012

Life & Love

Facebook. Facebook.
It’s a good avenue to meet old friends.
It’s a good avenue to let the whole world know about your current status.
Some old friends are surprised to know that I have just given birth to a handsome
baby boy. As my last name implies, Adi and Robi’s father is not the one they knew of.
Indirectly, they would ask, “So, what happened?”
(I am used to this kind of question so I learned how to be cool about it.)
So what happened? To who? To me or to the ex?
“He married the next girlfriend instead of me.”
Plain and simple. Direct but not bitter.

Some people would advise that to be able to move on faster after a break-up,
one must hate or recall all the bad things the ex has done.
But isn’t that being immature and selfish?
I managed to move on without badmouthing my ex.
I managed to rebuild my life on my own sans any bitterness from the separation.
The funny thing is, one of my exes could not believe that I could be forgiving.
That moving on is possible and that wishing them to live a happy life as a married couple
is for real.
=)
Mahilig Ba Talaga Sa Libre Ang Pinoy?

July 18, 2012

Life & Love

My usual routine after eating my lunch is to make myself a cup of coffee.
Btw, sa office ito, ha?
My officemate noticed my routine and suggested, “Nagbabayad ka pa ng coffee eh meron
naman sa pantry ng boss mo?”

OMG. First, hindi ko pantry ang pantry ng boss ko.
Second, walang nagsabi sa aking pwede akong magtimpla ng kape mula sa
pantry ng boss ko.
Okay, pantry ito ng management team. Pero sa tingin ko, pantry lang ito ng mga
boss talaga. Nakakahiyang magpauna.

Hindi ito ang first time kong makapansin na mukha yatang mahilig sa libre ang mga Pinoy.
Malay ko sa ibang lahi pero may nakasama din naman akong foreigner pero hindi mahilig magpalibre
o mahilig sa libre. Sa harap ng aking laptop ngayon, inisa-isa ko ang mga pinaka sa mga hilig ng Pinoy na libre.

1. Pagkain- Wala na daw sasarap pa sa pagkaing libre. Fiesta, birthday, kasalan, san ka pa?
Ngunit para sa akin, lalo akong napapagastos kapag uma-attend ako ng mga ganitong okasyon.
Nagi-guilty kasi akong magregalo ng so-so lang lalo’t alam kong pinaghandaan ang okasyon. Yung bonggacious ba.
Ang hirap naman yatang lunukin ang mamahaling handa samantalang ang regalong dala ko lang ay worth 100 pesos.
Minsan naitanong ko kung ano ba ang masarap sa handa ng handaang pinuntahan namin. Adobo, menudo at
caldereta ang handa–mga pagkaing pwedeng makita sa carinderia, restaurant o kahit sa bahay. Ang sagot
sa akin ng kasama ko, “Wala, libre eh. Yun ang masarap.”

2. Text/Call/Internet- Texting capital nga daw ang Pilipinas. Patok na patok ang Smart, Globe at Sun dahil sa mga
unli call and text promo. Isama mo pa dyan ang internet. Hindi sya libre dahil binayaran mo. Pero sa office,
libre ang internet. Kapag may internet, may web chikka o kahit yung ini-install na chikka. Libre mo ng matetext
ang gusto mong i-text. Kahit naman ako, nag-o-OT dati para lang magbasa ng kung anu-ano sa internet.
(Those were the days na hindi pa ako sobrang busy!) Libre ang telepono dito sa office. Pero yun ang hindi ko
carry na gawin, ang gamitin ang telepono sa non-work related na business ko. Hehehe.

3. Gamot/Pagamot- “Ano’ng gusto mo paglaki mo?” tanong sa akin ng tatay ko noong 5 years old ako.
“Doktor po.” Lahat naman ng bata kung hindi teacher, gusto maging doktor di ba? Sasang-ayunan ako ng
tatay ko sa ambisyong iyon. Sasabihin pang tama yun dahil makakatulong ako sa mahihirap daw. Pero hindi ako
naging doktor. Mahal maging doktor. Kaya natutuwa akong makakita ng mga nagme-medical mission ng libre.
Kulang na lang ay mag-volungteer ako na ako na lang ang magsusulat, aalalay sa mga doktor etc.
(Nung mag-medical mission sila sa aming barangay three years ago, aba, gusto ko nga silang pakainin sa bahay but
that sounds weird naman di ba?) Libreng gamot. Libreng pagamot. Libreng pabunot ng ngipin. Maraming Pinoy kasi
ang di afford magpagamot. Kung saan may libreng gamutan o libreng gamot ay dun pipila.

4. Sakay- Ikaw ba yung tipo ng taong aabang ng kasamahang may sasakyan para makalibre ng sakay?
Kung super close kayo, okay lang. Pero kung hindi, that’s awkward. Paano kung wala sa mood ang
may-ari ng sasakyan di ba? O ikaw ba ang tipo na titignan ang katabi sa jeep kung kakilala at maghahantay
na ilibre ka? Sa kultura natin di ba dapat ang lalaki ang naglilibre sa babae? Well, hindi na ngayon.
May mga lalaki na ring expecting na ilibre sila ng kakilalang babae sa jeep.

5. Kuryente/Tubig- Uso pa ba ang jumper sa kuryente? What about illegal connection sa tubig?
Kung sino pa ang malalakas kumunsumo at walang pagtitipid sa katawan, sila pa ang may ganang
mandaya sa bayaran. (kaya nga nandadaya eh malakas kumunsumo!) Sa halip na magtipid,
dadaanin sa pandaraya.

So far, yan pa lang limang yan ang alam kong pinaka ng mga Pinoy pagdating sa paghahangad ng libre.
Minsan maiinis ka dahil feeling mo ayaw man lang maglabas ng pera pero minsan maaaawa ka
lalo at para naman sa pagpapagamot ang dahilan.
Post Partum Weight Loss

July 12, 2012

Health & Beauty

I am back to my pre-pregnancy shape!
Is it just me or the pineapples?

A month before I gave birth, I was busy reading articles about losing the extra pounds earned during pregnancy.
My first two pregnancies were particularly difficult for me to get back to my old shape. I used to think that I could heal
faster if I would eat a lot of food during my maternity leave. As a result, I added more pounds instead of just maintaining
what I have already acquired.

Things that I did during my maternity leave:

1. I moved a lot- rocking my newborn to sleep allowed me to heal faster. It was a gentle exercise for my tummy area, too.
2. I ate 5 small meals a day- this gave me the opportunity to look forward to my next meal. Eating in small portions also increased my metabolism.
3. Pineapples- my pineapple addiction gave me the much needed vitamin C for faster wound healing. Some articles at the net say that pineapples help
in losing weight.

I may not be a Hollywood star with a very slim figure after giving birth but I’m happy to discover that with the
right attitude and diet, I can really lose weight! =)
Adi’s UTI

June 29, 2012

Wedding & Family Life

Toddlers love to eat adult foods like soda, iced tea and artificial fruit juices. I am guilty of letting my two-year old boy indulge in these kind of foods.I should have been stern when it comes to disciplining my toddler on what foods to eat and what foods to avoid.

Last Tuesday night, Adi kept on throwing up. It was accompanied by a vegetable-green bowel. We gave him Gatorade (another no-no for toddlers) to replenish the lost fluid but he kept on throwing up. It was past 10PM when we decided to bring him to the hospital.

At the hospital, there was no pediatrician on duty so we contented ourselved on the service of a general practitioner. She said that Adi needs to be confined. We asked for a private room with aircon but there was no available so while waiting (for a private room), we took the children’s ward section. The nurse put dextrose on Adi with my husband’s assistance. Adi was crying and shouting all the time. It was his first taste of hospitalization.

After 20 minutes, Adi removed the dextrose and blood was all over his bedsheet. I was shocked to see how much blood was coming out of his hand, thanks to our roommate for providing assistance. The nurse, obviously disappointed, asked me if I would like her to reinsert the dextrose on Adi. Being a mother, it was painful for me to see my child suffering and being traumatized at a young age so I asked the nurse if she could contact Adi’s pediatrician to consult the situation. I told the nurse that with or without the pedia’s instruction, I would delay the reinsertion of the dextrose until Adi is emotionally ready. I signed a waiver on that.

Adi was fussy the whole night. When the pedia saw him the next morning, she immediately ordered for a reinsertion (dextrose). But the pedia had a better way of handling toddlers so she asked the nurse to put diaper around Adi’s hand. Adi was crying and shouting again. The nurse gave him medicine through IV. Adi fell asleep after that.

In the afternoon, Adi was transferred to a private room. I noticed the difference in treatment of some hospital staff after the transfer. Would it really matter if the patient is confined in a ward or in a private facility? Maybe.

Adi’s recovery was fast and expected. Modern medicine made the way for better and faster healing. His pedia, Dr. Anna Cruz, is a good one. So from then on, we have to watch on what Adi is eating. Urinary tract infection may lead to kidney infection when left untreated.
Wisdom Tooth Extraction

June 6, 2012

Health & Beauty

I never knew that I had four wisdom teeth until the dentist asked me to have a panoramic xray. Prior to my dental visit, I had a terrible toothache accompanied by a head-splitting headache. I went to Dentist A for a check up and she thought it was just a case of sensitive teeth. My second molar seemed to be in good condition; no crack and no hole. I told her that there seemed to be some food particles trapped in between my 1st molar and second molar. She didn’t bother to check it and instead told me that my 2nd molar was in good condition. She prescribed Sensodyne toothpaste and Hyl It gargle. I changed my toothbrush to Colgate 360, the one with very soft bristles.

After three days, the pain increased and I found it hard to open my mouth. Dolfenal (pain reliever) did not help a bit. I decided to see another dentist and it was this dentist who thought it was a case of impacted wisdom tooth. Dentist B was the one who asked me to have a panoramic xray.

A panoramic xray costs PhP600 and the result can be processed in about 20 minutes. I had a strong feeling that the result would show an impacted wisdom tooth but to my surprise, I had all four of my wisdom teeth trapped beneath my gum!

My husband and I brought the xray result to Dentist B with our toddler Adi. When Dentist B confirmed that I had 4 impacted wisdom teeth and the one causing the toothache must be extracted, I started to cry. The last time that I had a tooth extraction was when I was 8 years old and it was not a good experience. Dentist B assured me that this time, it would be easier and different.

On that same day, my husband and I decided to have my wisdom tooth surgically removed. The 2nd molar that Dentist A thought was in good condition was damaged by my 3rd molar (wisdom tooth) so it had to be extracted, too. Dentist B had a hard time pulling it out because 2nd molar was still “strong.” She called the oral surgeon to do the surgical removal of my 3rd molar.

Oral surgeon cut my gum and broke some bone so that the trapped 3rd molar would show. She had a hard time finding the exact location of the 3rd molar. The panoramic xray could not define the exact location of the trapped wisdom tooth. Finally, after one hour and 15 minutes and with great pain, the oral surgeon was able to extract my 3rd molar!

I still have three 3rd molars (wisdom teeth) that are trapped beneath my gum. I asked the dentist a week ago if there’s a probability that the remaining three would cause me trouble in the future. She could not predict. It was a painful and traumatic experience and if the remaining ones need extraction, I would have it done in a hospital under general anesthesia.
Selfish People

March 31, 2012

Life & Love

At some point in your life, you’ll meet selfish people who will drain your energy and spirit, leaving you either depressed or angry. Selfish people are egocentric and their needs come first before anyone. It’s easy to tell if a person is selfish. Once you feel that there is no reciprocation in the relationship, then the person that you’re dealing with is selfish.

Christ taught us about selflessness. The parting of the bread and his washing of his apostles’ feet symbolize both humility and selflessness. In contrast, Judas’ betrayal symbolizes selfishness.

A person can be selfish of his time to help others who are in need. An elder sibling who would rather spend the night with his friends than help a younger sibling finish an important school project is being selfish of his time. A parent who would rather sleep long hours in the weekend than bond with his/her kids is being selfish of his/her time.

A person who has lots of money in the bank but refuses to help a friend or a relative who has an emergency at the hospital is being selfish with his resources. A neighbor who would rather let his food rot than share with less fortunate neighbors is being selfish with God’s graces.

A person who always ask favors from his friends or family but does not return it is selfish. A man or a woman who wants a relationship but does not want commitment is being selfish in love.

Even selfless people can be selfish at times. Each of us has his own levels of selfishness but when life, relationship and feelings are at stake, we need to reassess ourselves if it’s reasonable to be selfish.