Better Safe than Sorry

I was barely awake at 2:30 A.M. Saturday, February 27, when I had to drive my son to a bus station somewhere in New York, Cubao. He and his classmates together with some teachers are on their way to Baler, Aurora as their final outdoor recreation activity for a subject. They have been to Tagaytay,Banahaw and Subic on so many weekends as required by the subject. The class is all about outdoor stuff- survival and roughing it up - which I highly doubt they were doing for everyone have had spanking good times based on the pictures I saw in FB accounts that I had no business browsing. But that's another story.

So 2:30 A.M.on a Saturday is not really that traffic-free. There were a lot of cars (with some zigzagging about) and big delivery trucks plying EDSA. I was sleepy and grumpy for I told my son that I have bad vibes about this Baler, Aurora trip. My son said I am paranoid.

I dropped my son off the bus station and went home. It was past 4:00 A.M. and that meant I was up for 22 straight hours already. I decided to sleep. I woke up at 8:30 and went about my daily routine. I checked with my son every now and then but he never answered my call or texted back which was actually typical of my son.

At 12:30 P.M. an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.3 hit Chile. I didn't know about this until about 9:00 P.M when the meeting I hosted in my house was over. D2 was the one who told me about the earthquake and the possible tsunami at its wake.

"What body of water is Chile facing?" I asked.

"Pacific Ocean" said D2. " A tsunami alert has been raised and the Philippines is included."

The blood swelled up my face for I realized that my son was somewhere in the Philippine sea (Pacific Ocean side) snorkling or wakeboarding. I called my son up (he answered the mobile phone!) and told him to pack is bag up and proceed to the nearest bus station -which he can't do for there was no ride out of the beach front cottages where they were staying. I texted his teacher 3 times but he did not reply! Creep!

By 11:30 P.M. I knew that the expected tsunami will hit Philippine shore by 1:30 P.M., Sunday. I slept fitfully. I woke up 7:00 A.M. and immediately called up my son. The teacher was still dilly-dallying with his decision. The earth could have swallowed him up full and he still could no make the decision. I texted my son that it's not for his teacher to make the call regarding his safety. I ordered him to go home for even if the alert had passed, they still can't go in the water because of undertow. My son said another option was for them to go to higher ground (Ermita Hill) which is actually where the populace of Baler go in times of tsunami alerts. I texted "go" which meant "go on ahead to Ermita Hill" but he misunderstood it. The next time he texted he said some 13 of them including another teacher were on their way home.

My son reached his apartment safe and sound. He said those who remained in Baler were having a great time and that there was no tsunami. I told my son that in 1960, an earthquake hit Chile and the tsunami that radiated from the epicenter reached the Philippine soil killing 32 people.

"You can always go back to Baler." I told my son. In times like this, it's better to be safe than sorry."

Homecoming

It is final then. My brother and his family are coming over for a visit sometime soon. I have not seen my nephew and niece for almost 10 years now. They're all grown-up! My nephew is graduating from Senior high this June and has hopes of becoming a doctor too like his "Ate" D1. My niece is turning 16 and plans on celebrating it here, with us. There's a lot to prepare and a lot to organize but it's not a problem, really. My brother asked me if there's anything I want so I listed him all that items. He was flabbergasted and said that if he buys all those things for me, my girls will probably have to share a bottle of women's multivitamin for I'd run him dry. No problem then. A bottle of multivitamins will be "great" for the girls.... problem is, I don't think my girls will be thrilled with that.

Diet for Life

No one wants to be perpetually on a diet. I have had my share of dieting since I was in my teens. When I was 15, I decided I was too fat. Back in those days, dieting meant "not eating" so I starved myself to get thinner. A few years after, I learned more about calorie counting and that was sort of fun because I was able to compute the calories that I eat. Five kids later, I was 45 pounds overweight so I enrolled in a weight-loss program. The dieting and exercise from the program helped me lose 50 pounds. It wasn't that hard keeping the weight down as I taught myself how to limit my calorie intake. The problem with some commercialized diets today are that they don't have an option to eat "normal" food. I read a jenny craig review and the diet works fine but who the heck can eat "diet" food for the rest of his/her natural life?? The key to enjoy your food is moderation. Plus! Go slow on the salt and fat.

Block the Sun

I read that at the age of 20, the skin starts to grow "old". Minute lines are starting to form. Skin discoloration is about to fire up if proper skin care is not adapted at this age. I've repeatedly told my girls to use a day cream with at least an SPF 15 when they go out. They chuckle and tell me that they're not like me who's so afraid of the sun's UVB and UBA. I told them I wasn't "scared" of the sun before but when I turned 35, I did notice that my complexion wasn't so smooth and blemish-free. At 37, dark spots started to appear on my cheeks -melasma: the dark spots or discoloration due to exposure to the sun.

Since then I've been applying sunblock on my face every time I go out especially from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. when the sun's ray are potent. It took a while to take out the dark spots on my face.Moral of the post: use sunblock or sunscreen.

Happy Heart's Day!

I have never intentionally celebrated Valentine's Day. I used to give my parents Valentine school projects where I had to string paper hearts (and label each heart papa, mama, myself and my brother,) then tie the stringed hearts on my parents' bedroom door, wait for them to see my work of art, for them to say thank you and that's that. Valentine wasn't as exciting as Christmas where I get tons of gifts and loads of food. At the age of 8, Valentine was of no consequence to me.

I went to an all-girl's high school and yes, girls were not in the habit of giving out Valentine cards to their girl classmates too. I must have received my first Valentine card and a bunch of roses when I was 17, but I really can't remember. What stuck though was the fact that though I had a lot of "admirers" back when Guy and Pip were the nemesis of Vi and Bot, no one seemed to be keen Valentine gifters too. Maybe these experiences traumatized me and then genetically passed on to my girls for they too are not keen on celebrating Valentine. In truth, it's a pagan tradition that Christians have no obligation to observe.

Anyway, pagan or no pagan, I received three roses from one of the men in my life, Ethan. He unceremoniously dumped the three roses on me and said " Happy Valentine's Day mom!" When I told him that Valentine is tomorrow yet he just shrugged his shoulders and left. I don't know where he got the roses, probably from my son who I am not in speaking terms because of our differences in opinion about a certain long-haired mouse. But that's another story.

Tomorrow is Hearts Day. I guess there'd be a lot of guys out there who would need some form of testosterone booster to build up self-confidence in baring their hearts to the one. Puh-leeze!! Hahaha... am I bitter or what?!

36-hour duty

The toll of a 36-hour duty three times a week finally took its toll on D1. She is peppered with pimples that seem to be concentrated on her forehead and chin where the surgical cap and face mask are put respectively. The sweat and grime (and blood?) of the OR must have affected D1's naturally smooth complexion. She has consulted with a dermatologist several times now and though the pimples have somehow abated, the fact remains that she still has pimples! She needs the best acne medication now and I do mean now!

Go Green!

Do you know that every electrical appliance that you buy should have an Energy Guide label prominently displayed on the unit? The Energy Guide label should specify the capacity of the appliance unit; it's estimated yearly electrical consumption and its efficiency. Some appliances also have the Energy Star logo. Its the blue thingy that is pasted on the unit. When this logo is attached, then you're sure that the said appliance had passed the stringent standards of the U.S. Department of Energy. Better look for these two labels when buying a new electrical appliance.

In line with these, do you know that there is a a job relating to these energy efficiency stuff? There is a actually a certificate program for an energy auditor. This training would ensure that you become an energy efficiency expert. How cool is that? You'd be doing your part for a "greener" Earth.

Greener Pasture

D2 told me that a handful of her co-workers have plans of going abroad to look for better jobs. Another niece-in-law is set to leave tomorrow for the same goal - to look for a job abroad. They are all willing to leave their small kids so that they would have the opportunity to earn big bucks. What's not right is that they are leaving their present jobs and their families without the security of a "sure" employment abroad. They should have browsed the internet for job opportunities first. There are sites that have listings of job opportunites like the one under the state of Philadelphia. Any takers on phila pa jobs? There are openings for this type of job.Surely it's best to get an employer first before hopping over to the supposedly "greener pasture".

Oodles of Fat

D 1 to 4 and I are in a race (with time) to loose weight. The vacation to a paradise island is fast approaching and the island being an island means there is a body of water around it and when there's a body of water, what do you do? You don your swimsuit! How can one who has waves of fat rolling off her abdomen possibly wear a bikini or even a one-piece swimsuit? People wouldn't probably mind looking at oodles of rolling fat, but I would. I don't want to be traipsing around the beach worrying about the undulating fat below by breast bone. Does anyone know where I could get the best weight loss supplements? The time is ripe to take on some "help" in losing weight!

Bedroom Suite

My mattress is a year old. I read somewhere that a mattress' "life" is from 7 to 15 years and I guess my mattress is still in the accepted lifespan for mattresses. My mattress is made of 8 inches uratex foam. I have no problem with the product as it's a quite comfy mattress and very durable. The uratex foam mattresses of my girls are more than 15 years old but they are firm as the day I bought them. So what's my gist?

In my browsing I found that there is a mattress that is a combination pocket coil and memory foam. It promises of undisturbed sleep night after night. I want that mattress. And while I'm at it, I want a new bedroom suite. I am quite simple in my request as I am not asking for some heated mattress pads. Okay now. Who will gift me with my request?

Moment of Truth!

The moment of truth has come! The credit bill is here! I don't feel like opening it for I know I have tons to pay. I have the airline tickets that I got on sale to pay. Then I have the paylite payment for the refrigerator to tackle. Next I have to pay in full the TV that I got to replace the old one. It's good that the TV I got is not in the rank of plasma tvs. If it were, I'd be paying more now but then again, I would have had the wonderful and super hip TV! Yes it's true. Quality products cost more.

In Sync

Is the United States still in economic recession? There has been so many fluff and hype on economic recovery the world over but, is it really happening? D2 has a couple of friends who are set to go over North Carolina sometime in May. The two teachers are sponsored by the VIF (Visiting International Faculty) to teach for two years in N. Carolina. If recession is still at its peak, why would these teachers get hired instead of qualified residents of the state. There are a lot of Outer banks foreclosures ongoing now which is not really in-sync with the alleged general economic situation in the US. What's the truth?

Flight to Nowhere

It's February already! Local airlines have been sending me emails informing me of ticket promos on local and international flights. There is no "piso" seat promo but there are PHP699 and PHP999 to wherever! The problem is it's so hard to book tickets online when there's an ongoing ticket sale. The magnitude of "would-be-vacationers" is just too much that online bookings becomes tedious. D2 has the tenacity for such ordeals. Me? Well,I did persevere but by the time I was able to enter the site, all seats to great places were sold out. I was left with a choice between Laoag and Kota Kinabalu! Where's Kota Kinabalu? Sigh. I was hoping I'd be browsing on some miami beach hotels now for rates.