Just had a great day! By any other standards, it was a normal hectic day. And that's what made it so great. I was hospitalized for a week, and it almost a week since I was discharged but not allowed to go out. And while I didn't go out today, it is the first time in a long time that I felt normal. The day started out with breakfast of pancakes. Yummy! And some meds. Meh! Then, I dove right into work. I accomplished tasks for WordCamp Ph 2010, Avatar Media, and Davao Bloggers. I also made scripts and coordinated for Davao Poker TV. Plus, I published and publicized some blog posts and started working on article submissions. I started most of these before lunch. WHOA! My relatives were here for lunch. We ate sinigang, kaldereta, and balbacua. Plus fruits, ice cream, and chocolates for dessert. Extra yummy and fun. With my nephews playing and running amok in the background, I went right back to my chores, tasks, and articles. I had to wear a face mask because there were too many people around. It was quite hard to breathe but I was able to work efficiently, nonetheless. Plus, I…
Category: life
Sun Life StartUp
With the It's Time Advocacy, Sun Life Financial hopes to create better awareness among Filipinos regarding the need and benefits of having an insurance plan. There are only about 11 - 14% of Filipinos who are insured. And this already includes those insured by SSS and GSIS. 90% of Filipinos retire with little or no savings at all. Recognizing the need to have more Filipinos insured, Sun Life Financial is offering a new insurance policy product that caters to Filipinos who have regular wages and would like to have a life insurance policy. Sun StartUp costs as low as PhP384 per month for a minimum coverage of PhP200,000. It has a coverage of 10 years. The earlier you sign up for it, the lower it will cost you. And this policy does not require you to undergo tests and fill up voluminous forms. You can also include and pay for add-on benefits such as coverage for accidents. Sun StartUp also gives you options to pay monthly, quarterly, and so forth so those with staggered or irregular earnings can also avail of this policy. I think this is a policy that bloggers or online professionals like me can avail of. And…
Dengue and Then Some
Last Thursday, icky rashes showed up on my legs so I had a blood test which showed I had a low platelet count. The normal count is around 150. Mine was only 50. I was admitted in the hospital for dengue. I didn't even have fever or other symptoms. Only a low platelet count, rashes, and bruises. I was the only dengue patient there who was perky. My Mommy noted I was even wearing mini skirt, make up, and dangling earrings when I was admitted. And some of the nurses seemed surprised that I was functioning well despite my very low platelet count which went as low as 8. After 5 IV insertions, eight units of platelet concentrate transfused, around 20 blood tests, several glasses of tawa tawa herbal tea, doses of antibiotics and antihistamine, and liters of water, my platelet count refused to go up. With that, my Doctor, also my cousin, decided to refer me to a hematologist (specializes in blood and blood diseases). The hematologist recommended I get a bone marrow aspiration (BMA). OUCHIE! My imagination was full of painful bone marrow extraction scenes from Grey's Anatomy, House, and Scrubs. And for the first time in a…
Things That I am Not Allowed to Have or Do
I have been diagnosed with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). This is an autoimmune disease. This is further complicated by my pre-existing conditions of being asthmatic, being allergic to a lot of things, among others. Plus, I have a tendency to retain more water and gain weight because of my ITP medication. As a consequence, I have to change my life. Totally! Here is a list of things I am not allowed to have, eat, or do: prolonged exposure to sun stress poor diet or not eating on time coffee hot food and drinks chicken shrimps and crabs salty foods smoke and cigarette smoke alcoholic drinks nuts dirt and dust pollen large crowds sick or sickly people infections massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, and hair treatments things that will cause me to bruise, bleed, or get injured such as sharp corners, sharp objects, and heavy things lack of sleep I have to avoid these for at least a month. Plus, I'd have to wear a mask when I go out in public or get exposed to people. Yeah, I know. I won't have a life anymore. PFT! The only good news, the best news is... I'm alive. :) If all goes well…
My Super Mommy
I might not have been lucky enough to be born with a picture perfect family, but I was lucky to have a super Mommy. She's not my biological mother, but she was the one who took care of me since I was a baby until I was nine years old. She is Teresita "Ching" J. Bonguyan, she is my biological father's sister. When I was left with her, she was already married and had two children of her own, with another one on the way. She gave birth to another child when I was almost four years old. Even when she already had four children, she treated me, took care of me, and loved me like one of her own. She didn't love any one of us better than the others, only differently. She knows our strengths and weaknesses, and she would always encourage us to do the things that would make us happy. In fact, it was Mommy who encouraged me to go to culinary school even if I didn't ask her or tell her that I wanted to do it. She saw how much I loved watching cooking shows and she suggested I attend culinary school. She is…
Living Life
My FB Status Message, July 6, 2010: "I think life is not to be understood but lived. I have tried hard to make sense of things, but I have realized that smarts and logic only get me so far. The rest of it, like love, destiny, stupidity... those I cannot fully comprehend. The best way to deal with life is to let things be. I choose to let things go and let life be. Hopefully, this will make me a better and happier person. LIVE. LOVE. LEARN. ♥" Yes, I have decided to let things be, let things go, let life take it's course. Most of my life, when I wasn't being stupid or too emo, I took life seriously and thought that my a would lead to b. That every action has a consequence proportionate to the action. If I do something good, good things will happen to me. If I study hard and get good grades, I will get rewards. If I do well, I'll be praised. If I behave, I'll be given a pat on the back. If I am a good friend or girlfriend, the relationship will last. If I do bad things, bad things will…