The high cost of childhood

Sunday was supposed to be a rest day and church day, but when you are a twentysomething guardian to two teeners and a mom to one, Sunday was a day to run errands such as doing the groceries. So,this past Sunday, I dragged my big butt to the mall to keep the household's sanity (aka window shopping) while doing some "mom work" on the side.
We came, we saw, and then we conquered the mall. Actually, my cuz Jet was supposed to come with us, but for some reason became unavailable at the last moment. My crew and I spent the first hour cruising around while buying a few trinkets here and there. Damn! Wearing high-heeled sandals on a mall tour is really, really not a great idea.

Harriet got those printed nail thingies that day. She shelled out a hundred bucks just to have her nails printed with chinese characters and a nude pic of crayon shin chan (or however it is spelled). Imagine what the world has come to today! Kids spending a meal's worth of money on something they can't even comprehend (I later translated it for her: "hindi ako naglilinis ng kuko. sayang lang ang one hundred ko.")

Want to hear something funny? Hannah owns a samsung e-715 while Harriet totes a 7250, and me, their ate, owns a motorola (model unknown, but surely not the trendy kind) stashed away in my drawer. I don't know why, but I am not really fond of cellphones. The se z1010 on my sidebar, however, is an exemption. Maybe because I find it a waste to buy something that will get outdated as fast as the weather changes. I also have this opinion that if I have spent the past years of my life incommunicado, I can definitely live a life sans cellphones. I now get by with landlines and e-mails, and I enjoy it. Sayang ang piso. Besides, pwede namang maki-text, right? Although I may seem a bit too practical, I am not closing my doors to owning AND using a cellphone. I still am a woman, after all. (hunny: hint! hint!)

I'm now way off topic. Anyway, we got what we needed and got what my sisters wanted. Now, it's my son's turn. We spent the next hour choosing between a Spiderman-goggle-lighty-thing and a train set at Tweedledee. At a P150 bucks a piece, I am not that generous to indulge my baby to some toy which will probably have a life span of a week, so it's either one or the other. We settled for a punching bag instead cause my sister gave the idea that it would do us a lot of good since we wouldn't serve as Skye's kickboxing partner anymore. That, my friends, is one of the greates ideas I've ever welcomed with open but Skye-bruised arms.

Upon returning home (me:thank God! my feet: thanks Haze!), my future boxer immediately set up his punching bag and gave it a good beating. Some may think this will enhance the evil creature out of him, but gee... maybe I'll just let my kid be a kid. At least this proves na lalaking-lalaki ang anak ko. For someone who's three and with lots of energy, I think this will suit him just fine.

As for me, my personal rest day comprised around an hour out of the whole Sunday. Doing what? Taking a nap, of course. Now that's one luxury/necessity for the child in me that costs absolutely nothing, not stressing, and is very much highly appreciated...



my current need

For the sake of rhinoplasty

My sisters and I are now watching this new show, "Born Diva". Yeahhh... a show with free aesthetic enhancements!!!! They told me to join so I could get the nose job I've been wanting all along, for FREE!!! All I've got to do is join, sing, be the guinea pig, and join the star search bandwagon.

OK, checklist: I can do the singing (hey! I won't be the self-proclaimed "Videoke Bakaw Queen" with Rye for nothing, y'know?), I have the guts to join (believe me, this is what singing contests do to you-- sadyang makapal na din mukha ko), and I am everyone's guinea pig! But no, no, no, no. I cannot indulge these networks into being one of those lured by a promise of stardom, a house and lot, and even free lipo! I mean, no offense meant to the others who want to join, but, isn't it a bit brutal being told that you're out, and being judged sarcastically in front of your face? I am not that much of a pachyderm to just let it pass by without them getting a punch in the nose. I am, by my own volition, a really sensitive human being. Besides, out of the thousands flocking for that "Belo makeover" chance, how many of those will go home disappointed and teary-eyed because they won't be able to get a blepharoplasty? I certainly don't wanna be disappointed. Then there's the "connection" thing. Admit it or not, a textmate or a ninang from some TV related company helps. Eh, sori, isang hamak na timawa lang ako. Gabby Lopez surely won't even know I existed! There are also a lot more things to consider- how would our household survive without me? Or how would Skye do without me? Or what will I do with my clinicals if I joined? Or what looks better on me? Backless or strapless? Or I still have to learn how to drive so I could get there!!! One more thing, I am not exactly "star material"!

Gee... the lights and the free nose job faded inside my thoughts. I am now happy with what I am. I also don't need a nose reconstruction. Mine's fine. Aquiline, but somewhat big on the nares (thanks to my genes!) Nevertheless, I can still smell. Besides, Mick and I can save up for a bleaching session, right hon? *winks* I guess I won't be joining any of those just yet.

Videoke na lang muna...

(btw: candidate number one won.)

one minute break lang...

I am currently busy doing my drug study for our case study. drugs, drugs, drugs, hehehe... drug addict na nga 'ata ako. then there's the pathophysio explanation of why this guy has a bulging stomach, and why he farts a lot, etc., etc. haaaaay... i know it's not that hard to do. what's hard is resisting the temptation of doing other things much more interesting than... than... drugs and farts!

They told me how they didn't notice my hair growing so long already. it's because it's always up in a bun under a nursing cap. i try to let it down once in a while dahil i think it is one of the reasons kung bakit lumalaki ung noo ko. now my curly locks reach my waist. mala-"marina" daw ang dating. my hair is now like samantha jones, sexy but high-maintenance.

bakit ba kulot salot?

e di salot tayong lahat? hihihihihi... just a thought....

geee.. back to work! more drugs coming my way, but i need just one- tylenol!

angel

by sarah mclachlan

spend all your time waiting
for that second chance
for a break that would make it okay
there's always one reason
to feel not good enough
and it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
oh beautiful release
memory seeps from my veins
let me be empty
and weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight
in the arms of an angel
fly away from here
from this dark cold hotel room
and the endlessness that you fear
you are pulled from the wreckage
of your silent reverie
you're in the arms of the angel
may you find some comfort here
so tired of the straight line
and everywhere you turn
there's vultures and thieves at your back
and the storm keeps on twisting
you keep on building the lies
that you make up for all that you lack
you don't make no difference
escaping one last time
it's easier to believe
in this sweet madness oh
this glorious sadness
that brings me to my knees
in the arms of an angel
fly away from here
from this dark cold hotel room
and the endlessness that you fear
you are pulled from the wreckage
of your silent reverie
you're in the arms of the angel
may you find some comfort here
you're in the arms of the angel
may you find some comfort here

they come in threes

today's agony: having a 3rd degree burn patient. assisting with the debridement was okay, but the freakin' smell was waaaaay hard on the nose! the guy was kooky, though.

another agony: vendo machines. they are so picky! not all twenty peso bills are that crisp!

and another agony: me entering the "tanga-tunganga" mode throughout the day.

wish i were a rich bum...

food trip for the dead

yesterday was:
- my dead father-in-law's birthday
- my dead grandfather's death anniversary
- ninoy aquino's death anniversary (he's not related to me, but so what?)

today is:
- my dead tita's birthday
- sunday (rest day!!!)

---> these are enough reasons for me to stuff myself with chicken pops, corn and carrots, brazo de mercedes, and coffee crumble flavored ice cream. BUUUURRRRPPPP!!!!!

does this signal depression, or am i just being a glutton?

can someone teach me the proper way of regurgitating what you ate without being called a bulimic?

pink and without balloons

we attended my cousin's (cindy's) debut last night. we also had a blast especially that some of my elusive cousins were there. winston got semi-drunk and was kinda loud. he was one of the eighteen roses and it was funny cause he was much smaller that cindy. danhil was also there. i think he will be leaving for italy soon since their school year is about to start, so this is our way of kicking his butt off before leaving. cindy was cute in her pink ballroom gown, the kind of what i want to have though i don't really know if it will look good on me. the room was all girly and pink, but my son kept asking me where the hell are the balloons? funny kid...



it's our sorority's alumni homecoming today, and we have this get together at LB. i soooooooo wanna go, but our househelp is on her day off and she left even before i woke up. i surely can't drag my sister and son there. grrrrr!!! what a coincidence! i have everything planned already, today being a holiday and all! woe to me! so, fellow omegans, long live!

now i've got nothing to do, and nowhere to go to. life can be so cruel.

maybe skye and i can make something out of it and make a ref cake.

hehehe... nice when you have a kid around, eh!

my son the dog...

My son now thinks he's a dog. At first I found it funny seeing him bark and all, but I got worried when he starts licking me and the furniture. Why, of all people he can look up to, is he fascinated of dogs? Naalala ko tuloy si Scout. See, Scout was our first baby before Skye. I got the name from one of Demi Moore's daughters, Scout LaRue. She was a rottweiler which Mick bought using his share from his bonus then. I was pregnant by the time we had scout. She was only two months old, I think, but she was big, and cute, and still cuddly. We thought it would be a good way of practicing parenthood since the pup is like a baby. She would sleep in our bed, we trained her to do her thing outside, and she was the only other girl my husband kisses. Things, however, changed as she grew up. There were the loud barks, the monstrous consumption of dog food that ate a lot of our budget, the stinky smell, and the scary idea that she would think she's still cuddly and attack me in all my pregnant glory. And so the decision was made to sell scout and keep our sanity. It was hard letting her go, but it has to be done.

With Skye, it was nice that he now serves as the reincarnation of our first baby, but please! Can someone tell me if this behavior is normal????

I miss Mick. Last night, I heard Carrie Bradshaw say on a "sex and the city" rerun that "two halves make a whole, but two of their halves make a whole lot of mess". Hehehe... Maybe we are a riot, but I agree that things are better for me EMOTIONALLY when he's here. That is some sacrifice I am willing to make, but too damn hard to accomplish. He told me over the phone that I can do it, and I know I can too, I just hope I get the cellphone and a three-day stay in Palawan I deserve after all these .

so maybe that's why.... 

just when you thought your lessons are hard...

This was sent to me by e-mail from ate cecil. and you though you were smart, eh? do what is required below and i will give you a million bucks!!! good luck...

WORLD HISTORY Describe the history of the papacy from its origins to the present day, concentrating especially, but not exclusively, on its social, political, economic, religious, and philosophical impact on Europe, Asia, America, and Africa. Be brief and concise, yet specific.

ASTRONOMY Define the universe; give three examples.

MEDICINE You will be provided with a razor blade, a piece of gauze, and a bottle of Scotch. Remove your appendix. Do not suture until your work has been inspected. You have 15 minutes.

COMPUTER SCIENCE Write a fifth-generation computer language. Using this language, create a computer program to finish the rest of this exam for you.

PUBLIC SPEAKING Twenty-five hundred riot-crazed aborigines are storming the classroom. Calm them. You may use any ancient language except Latin, Hebrew, or Greek.

CIVIL ENGINEERING This is a practical test of your design and building skills. With the boxes of toothpicks and glue present, build a platform that will support your weight when you and your platform are suspended over a vat of nitric acid.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING The disassembled parts of a howitzer have been placed in a box on your desk. You will also find an instruction manual, printed in Swahili. In 10 minutes a hungry Bengal tiger will be admitted to the room. Take whatever action you feel is appropriate. Be prepared to justify your decision.

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING You will be placed in a nuclear reactor and given a partial copy of the electrical layout. The electrical system has been tampered with. You have seventeen minutes to find the problem and correct it before the reactor melts down.

BIOLOGY Create life. Estimate the differences in subsequent human culture if this form of life had developed 500,000 years earlier, with special attention to the probable effect, if any, on the Philippine social spectrum circa 1640. Prove your thesis.

RELIGION Perform a miracle. Creativity will be judged.

MUSIC Write a full piano concerto. Orchestrate and perform it with a flute and drum. You will find a piano under your seat.

LOGIC Take a position for or against truth. Prove the validity of your position.

CHEMISTRY You must identify a poison sample which you will find at your lab table. All necessary equipment has been provided. There are two beakers at your desk, one of which holds the antidote. If the wrong substance is used, it causes instant death. You may begin as soon as the professor injects you with a sample of the poison.

PSYCHOLOGY Based on your knowledge of their early works, evaluate the emotional stability, degree of adjustment, and repressed frustrations of each of the following: Alexander of Aphrodisias, Ramses II, Gregory of Nicea, and Hammurabi. Support your evaluations with quotations from each man's work, making appropriate references. Translate all quotations in Tagalog.

SOCIOLOGY Identify the sociological problems which might be associated with the end of the world. Construct an experiment to test your theory.

ECONOMICS Describe in four hundred words or less what you would have done to prevent the Great Depression.

MATHEMATICS You have 60 seconds to mentally solve the mathematical problem below. Begin.
8,256.091 + _________ - ________ x ________ ¸ ________ = -38.07623 (Bonus question: Why is 11 not pronounced onety one? Provide a full numerical analysis in justifying your answer.)

POLITICAL SCIENCE There is a red telephone on the desk beside you. Start World War III. Report at length on its socio-political effects, if any.

ART Given one eight-count box of crayons and three sheets of notebook paper, recreate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Skin tones should be true to life.

PHYSICS Explain the nature of matter. Include in your answer an in-depth evaluation of the impact of the development of mathematics on science.

METAPHYSICS Describe in detail the nature of life after death. Test your hypothesis.

PHILOSOPHY Sketch the development of human thought. Estimate its significance. Compare with the development of any other kind of thought.

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE Describe in detail. Be objective and specific.

our group inside the r.m.c. operating room with our preceptor, sir sam...

searching for utopia

mick called last night. twice. i was happy he called cause i need someone to really talk to. the kind who will just listen without judgments or unsolicited advices. the kind you could only get from my husband.

at the hospital, there was this patient who was admitted since last week. he suffered from multiple stab wounds from a neighbor and by multiple, i really mean multiple! he was doing fine, we thought, but the absence of antibiotics needed to increase his resistance to infection resulted in complications from the many -omy operations he had. the watcher said they didn't have enough money to buy the much needed meds. before we left, they were all ready to ambu bag the patient while he stares blankly into space, gasping for breath, as if asking God to have mercy on his poor soul.

our group felt really bad for this guy. when you are in the hospital, you begin to get miserable with all the injustices of the world. sometimes, a few pesos would cost you a life and with the numerable patients with the same problem, it would really cost you a lot! how sad...

if only i were that rich to shoulder all their hospital expenses, if only the world is financially balanced, if only people would stop stabbing their neighbors, if only absolutely free healthcare is available in the Philippines, if only corrupt officials and other crooks would share their "stolen" money, if only people could have indestructible bodies, if only...haaay! such a cruel world...

i could just stare blankly into space together with that patient and pray that may God indeed have mercy on his poor soul...

" Adjust To Life"

A man and his girlfriend were married. It was a large
celebration. All of their friends and family came to see
the lovely ceremony and to partake of the festivities and
celebrations. A wonderful time was had by all.
The bride was gorgeous in her white wedding gown and
the groom was very dashing in his black tuxedo. Everyone
could tell that the love they had for each other was true.
A few months later, the wife comes to the husband with a
proposal. "I read in a magazine, a while ago, about how
we can strengthen our marriage," she offered. "Each of us
will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying with
the other person. Then, we can talk about how we can fix
them together and make our lives happier together."
The husband agreed. So each of them went to a separate
room in the house and thought of the things that annoyed
them about the other. They thought about this question for
the rest of the day and wrote down what they came up with.
The next morning, at the breakfast table, they decided that
they would go over their lists.
"I'll start," offered the wife.
She took out her list. It had many items on it. Enough to fill
three pages, in fact. As she started reading the list of the little
annoyances, she noticed that tears were starting to appear in
her husbands eyes.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing," the husband replied, "keep reading your list."
The wife continued to read until she had read all three pages
to her husband. She neatly placed her list on the table and
folded her hands over it.
"Now, you read your list, and then we'll talk about the things
on both of our lists," she said happily.
Quietly the husband stated, "I don't have anything on my list.
I think that you are perfect the way that you are. I don't want you
to change anything for me. You are lovely and wonderful and I
wouldn't want to try and change anything about you."
The wife, touched by his honesty and the depth of his love for
her and his acceptance of her, turned her head and wept.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
IN LIFE, there are enough times when we are disappointed,
depressed and annoyed. We don't really have to go looking
for them. We have a wonderful world that is full of beauty,
light and promise.
Why waste time in this world looking for the bad, disappointing
or annoying when we can look around us and see the wondrous
things before us?
I believe that WE ARE HAPPIEST WHEN we see and praise
the good and try our best to forget the bad. Nobody's perfect
but we can find the perfectness in them and change the way
we see them.
-something to think about from Pia

from biochem to malling...

gee...i haven't seen mrs. garcia for the past three weeks! i was absent at the first two (but i have my reasons !), and now she got back at me by being absent today. and to think i woke up early!

i made a vow to myself to wise up on my expenses since i didn't get to save this past month because of compulsive purchases and sudden events that require money unloading (like replacing our ref).my classmates felt the same way so we decided to have a late "paluwagan" so we could force ourselves to invest for the coming christmas season. i'll use it to buy something for my two boys. just hope this money saving scheme works...

though moolah-saving is now my new mantra, buying new nursing shoes was a necessity. the old ones were in a badly need of a replacement. kitz and vince went with me to the mall where there was a 3-day sale. after a few hours of shoe-searching, i still haven't found what i've been looking for while kitz and vince found a few things to buy along the way. our break was at the starbucks where we talked and stayed for around an hour and a half. with that conversation, i came up with these:

1. reunions are something to look forward to if postponed until you become a millionaire.
2. former delinquents now tend to be the responsible ones because they just became tired of being, well, delinquents.
3. no matter what astringents or cosmetics you use, you still won't have elizabeth hurley's genes, so why bother?
4. our class is now getting in touch with humanity with all these patient interactions going on.
5. an iced frapuccino is best served with a friend.

i did get to buy shoes after that. i also managed to buy my skye his doughnuts and pay some bills. my little guy was waiting for me (or the doughnuts?) with open arms when i got home. he is now making doodles on his coloring books beside me.

the day was tiring but sweet. it resulted in a headache and sore feet, but then, they will be wearing new shoes by monday, so why complain?

my little baby boy. he just turned three. looks and acts a lot like his dad. he is now asking when he can go to school. turns the house upside down like the tasmanian devil, but when I see him at night in bed, i just realize that the monster is nothing but a tired little angel. haaaaayy.... what would i be without this kid??? 

they say everybody looks good in white, i say "duh..."

my hunny with a friend beside their ship, Norwegian Dawn