A Christmas Wish

Touring Europe has always been a dream of mine. Its like finally stepping into all those books and movies of this grand fairy-tale-like place. My husband and I decided to finally take that tour of Europe this year.

Until I got pregnant. And that dream just took a backseat. No walking for long distances in the next nine months.  No travelling outside the country until baby is big & healthy enough. And carrying the baby just got harder and harder… until the time Javi entered this world in August.

So as time went by and post-partum dementia set in… I had wished I could have postponed having the baby and traded that time to walk the cobble stone streets, ride a Gondola, enter the Louvre, throw a coin in the Trevi fountain, visit Strauss’ Blue Danube inspiration…ascend to the top of the Eiffel Tower. 

Or even to have just watched the EHeads reunion concert, which was held the night before I gave birth.

And then Javi started to smile.  And laugh. And sigh. Amidst all his cries, diaper changes, visits to the doctor. ..he started to get through me, and bring my sanity back… and the realization that I would never have traded this gift of joy for any thing in the world.

A friend of mine finally had his tour of Europe recently, that dream easily  realized. Yes until now, he & his wife’s heart’s desire to have a child remains a dream

So this is my Christmas Wish, for the couples, especially my friends, whose dream is to their own child, may they be filled with HOpe and anticipation… of True Joy to come.

What to do with so much money

If I were Manny Pacquio who just won at least P547 million from the recent Dream Match, I would

10  Set aside a hefty amount for my family, enough to last until my senior citizen years.

9 Have my own Gawad Kalinga village – the Pacman GK Village!

8  Franchise a Jollibee whose profits are used to host free monthly Jollibee birthday parties for chosen orphanages

7  Pay for the hospital bills and future medications of PGH’s children’s cancer ward patients

6  Sponsor a leukemia patient’s sustainance medications

5  Put up my own Manny Pacquiao boxing training center – meant to spend for and train future delegates to the Olympics, so that finally the Philippines can win a Gold medal.

4 Sponsor a bunch of Doctor to the Barrios – take care of the cost of all medicines, equipment, allowances. The more remote the province, the more the doctors to sponsor.

 3 Adopt a public elementary school in some remote area where children still walk to school, have no books or chairs or even classrooms…

2 Put up my own charitable foundation to set up livelihood programs for the poor, and get my past opponents such as Barrera or Morales or even Dela Hoya to contribute a portion of their winnings to my foundation.

1  Seriously consider that I can do more good as an individual rather than go into politics

Symptoms of amnesia

I had my second ultrasound a few weeks back.  I had more feelings of fear rather than anticipation after all the past weeks of no appetite, indigestion, pelvic cramps.  The only good thing I held on to was that the thing inside me was probably rehearsing for the Dance Olympics with all the kicks, turns, slow but equally bothersome movements almost all day.

So when the doctor was poking my slippery tummy with the sticklike contraption with a smile on her face, I couldn’t wait to look at the screen. However the doctor took her sweet time showing all the body parts to my husband first.  I refused to ask the doctor ‘can i see the baby now please?’ but I guess it was written all over my face, that the doctor faced the screen to me and immediately showed the baby’s face, the tiny hands, the tiny feet, and the very visible sign it was a baby boy.   And it was easier to believe the doctor this time when she said that the baby is ‘ok’ and is ‘normal’ in spite of his tiny size, because I could see him on the screen - really there, really moving.   

After the ultrasound, I felt like a sunny bright day just started after a long period of rain and gloom. It also became easier to accept the discomforts of carrying our baby. And when asked if I was excited about having this baby, it became much easier to say yes.

amnesia

Its nearly my 15th week and I’m running short of sleep. My skin is as dry as the Sahara. And I can’t use those creamy lotions because I’ve developed a sudden allergy for them. Getting myself to fall asleep is more difficult than memorizing those two to three liner formulas of a perfectly diversified portfolio. My allergic rhinitis is at its worst, which keeps me up almost an hour to two hours each night. Eating at night is a daily struggle. And these are all part of a normal pregnancy.

And there’s the guilt of complaining. “Yes my dear baby, I will do anything for you. My complaining does not mean I despise you. It’s just that its been very difficult for me this past few weeks. You can continue to suck out all my bodily nutrients, but as you see, I have not gained a single pound since week one. But I’m really forcing myself to eat at night, really…even if I have to have that feeling of nausea so extreme I feel as if my eyes would pop out… ”

Finally I came across a book on pregnancy that was truthful about pregnancy, that is, to a lot of women out there, it is NOT easy. I had my husband read it, just so that he realizes I have not turned into the worst pregnant wife-brat on the planet. The book mentioned most of my complaints – difficulty with anything that has to do with the digestive system, from difficulty in sleeping to extreme laziness and impatience. And most of these stuff, are either too petty to mention during the monthly OB visits, or are just too embarrassing to ask about. The book mentions that after giving birth, most women develop some sort of ‘pregnancy amnesia’ – or forgetting all the hardships they’ve been through during pregnancy. It’s nature way of ensuring that a second baby will be born.

I have the feeling that I will be stricken later on with this pregnancy amnesia…

Case of Missing Numbers

Bits and pieces of paper were in our garage dustpan. Mixed with dust and dog hair, I had to look for an amount written on that important piece of paper. After ten minutes of patiently combing through the wreckage, I found it – the current amount due. That wreckage was our Meralco bill.

Our mailbox is not hidden, nor obscured from normal line of sight. Its just that the person who delivers our electric bill believes that by inserting it into other crevices of our gate, our playful pet Labrador Joey will not be able to reach it. Too bad though, some dogs are smarter than some people. And whenever pieces of paper like the endless cable subscription ads are inserted through our gate other than into the mailbox, they gets into the mischievous paws and teeth of our pet. So that was the fate of our latest electric bill. I was able to salvage only about five pieces of crumpled paper that contained the amount, and were big enough to save.

I’m thankful enough for internet banking where it does not require the presentation of the bill in order for you to pay. So I proceeded to pay through online. After several tries, I could not get a confirmation of my payment. I either had an incorrect amount or service account number, telephone pin. My husband went through the five pieces of paper again. And we did find that portion of the bill that appeared to be the telephone PIN. Matching that piece of paper against our previous bills, I had a eureka moment – the telephone PIN changed with each bill. Bummer. That means, we would have to watch out for two important sets of numbers in case we get a torn up bill again. Finally I was able to pay. And finally I enrolled for an e-Meralco bill. It’s taxing to teach our pet not to chew up paper inserted through the gate. Its more frustrating though to expect to have our electric bill nicely dropped into the proper place – the mailbox.

get lost

with more than 15 exits outside the shinjuku train station in tokyo, i was sure the station was bigger the naia. we were looking for the exit that led to a shopping mall that had the biggest 100 yen shop. so even after 15 minutes looking for the exit, it took us another 10 minutes to look for the mall.

but in spite of the confusing train station names, monosyllabic street names and the language barrier, the japanese are always willing to help. ask them for directions, they will gladly stop and help you read your map. though its difficult to translate directions given in japanese, right hand did mean go right, left hand meant go left. and thats all we needed.

after a while youd have to put down your map, your train stations guide and ask for directions. the japanese conspired to do make this all so complicated - english translations are printed so tiny, no english translations of train station announcements in some trains, multiple exits…  so that the tourists do get lost, but in getting lost they find that the japanese are very helpful people.

D Hk day

3 days in HK - and more DHs than I could count with my fingers and toes. It started at NAIA with a group of DHs who were driven away by some airline personnel. They were seated on the floor near the check-in counter of Cebu Pacific. There weren’t to blame though, there weren’t any more vacant seats in NAIA’s tiny waiting area.  I was lucky to have just two bags in tow that I could walk back and forth without much discomfort of heavy luggage.  Then my seatmates on the plane were DHs talking about their ‘amos’. One of them apparently was so loved by her ‘amo’ that she was going to be fetched by her ‘amo’. Good for her. Then on the bus from the HK international airport to Wan Chai, caught a couple of them there too.  On the Sunday that I was in HK, my friends brought me to Central, near the park, building and street where the DHs spent the day off - seated on the ground over spread out newspapers… ‘Ako ay Pilipino’ was playing in the background.  It was embarrasing at the same time though I had to think, that there was no other place that they could stay without having to spend their hard-earned HK dollars.  "Sila ang bagong bayani." Ironic.

It was my first time to ride on a roller coaster, in Ocean Park. I thought that it couldn’t be that scary. Well it was, after 2 90 degree-drops, I couldn’t take another one, so I just closed my eyes on the 3rd one. But I had to open them quickly and flash a smile so that the cameras at the end would not be able to capture a picture of myself in my worst state. And as the proof for my first and last daring attempt to ride a roller coaster, I purchased that stolen shot for almost P350.  For one thing, the picture didn’t tell the truth, because behind my wide smile was a promise that I will never never drive my intestines upside down by a roller coaster ride again.

My friends took me to a couple of chinese restaurants for ‘authentic’ chinese/Hongkong food and to one Thai restaurant. And all the meals were delicious. Since my friends did the ordering (since they spoke cantonese/mandarin), I did not know the names of the meals we ate. I enjoyed the ‘rice rolls’ with XO sauce. I also liked the pork curry and hot soup we ate at the Thai resto.  The taste of the food still lingers at the tip of my tongue.  I think that after I’ve seen all the tourist spots there in HK, the food there will still make the trip there worth it.

Acceptance

A friend of mine passed away two Sundays ago. There’s that thing about people knowing when its their ‘time’ - and I guess she knew it was hers. Her parents said during her wake ‘hanggang kamatayan, di kami binigyan ng problema’ referring to her detailed last will. I last talked to her when she was in the hospital, when she just got back from the ICU. Her last words to me were ‘Thank you’. I wish I could have said ‘thank you’ back because of the big influence she has been.  She used to be my former boss, when I was right out of college.  And then I felt I was a blank slate that she freely wrote on.

I dreamt of her last night. We were riding in a jeep, and she asked me how much the fare was. She was very fond of travelling. She once told me of a quote that when you travel, you find yourself. Na-sobrahan ata - at sa langit na sya nag travel.  Anyway, in my dream, I replied to her ‘uh, libre ka na’. I guess this time she was travelling back home.

Thank you Anna.

Last Rule : Take the aircon bus from Alaminos to Manila

When we arrived at the Germinal 5-Star bus station, we were hoping to get the next aircon bus to Pasay.  But the dispatcher said that the next aircon bus was at 8pm. And it was only 2pm. ‘Yan paalis na yan,Pasay yan’ he told us as he pointed to the ordinary bus parked but ready to go.  So we got on that bus, and while we were putting our bags in the overhead compartment, the bus started to move. ‘Paalis na nga…’

After 40 minutes, we arrived in Alaminos. The bus turned right at the bus station there.  And as it did, we saw an AIRCON bus to Pasay!  People were getting on it. We were deciding if it was better for us to transfer there or stay in our bus. But since we already paid the full fare to Pasay, we sourly stuck to the ordinary bus.  The aircon bus left after 5 minutes. It probably just waited for the bus from Bolinao to arrive, just in case there were passengers who wanted to take the aircon bus at around that time. 

So after enduring the 7 1/2 hour ordinary bus ride, and the noisy kid behind our seat who I was sure was Donkey in his previous life (because he repeatedly asked his father ‘malapit na tayo?’ all the way from Alaminos until we reached North Luzon Express Way), the movement of passengers up and down the bus, the smelly shirts, the bad hair day, we finally reached Pasay.

Rule Number 5: Know your fruit trees

We asked tric driver Audi to take us to the Cape Bolinao lighthouse and Enchanted caves.  The lighthouse was one of the few functional lighthouses in the Philippines.  Too bad though that we were not able to go up to the top since it was closed (it was a Sunday).  Nonetheless since the lighthouse was atop a hill, we still had a good view of the shore.

From the lighthouse, we went to their ‘white beach’. It was public beach in barangay Patar.  And since it was public, there were a lot of people swimming even at high noon. There were a several huts for rent. And a lot of halo-halo vendors.  The beach was sandy and not full of corals like the beach at the resort, although it was in the same coastline.  Since it was too hot for a dip, we just ate halo halo to pass the time. 

We next went to what they called ‘enchanted’ cave, though I didn’t find anything enchantng about it.  My companion and Audi went for a dip in the underground ‘pool’ while I just watched.  The water was about 7 feet deep.  Entrance fees were P30 per head. The lifeguard at the cave though explained that the entrance fees were just enough for maintenance. There were lights in the cave, cemented paths, and a wash area.  People usually go there to rinse salt water off after coming from the beach.

We lingered in the park outside the enchanted cave. And other than those we found surrounding the lighthouse, there were more duhat and siniguelas trees there and all heavy with ripe fruits.  But they were just too high to reach. And the branches of the trees were to frail to actually climb on. Audi mentioned that siniguelas, duhat, mangoes were common in Bolinao.  So common I guess that it was cheaper to let the fruits ripen on the trees until they drop off rather than pick them to sell at the market.

The last time I had siniguelas was about two years ago. A tumpok (like one fruit cocktail can) costed P20 in Philcoa.  On the day we left for Manila, Audi gave us almost 3 kgs. of siniguelas from their own trees. They were consistently sweet and firm (and probably came from the same tree).  I don’t know when I’ll ever have to eat these many siniguelas again, but if I do have to pay for them, I hope they’re from Bolinao.