Please Donate to the Flood Victims

To all those who want to donate to the flood victims, I am willing to accept your donations and buy the items that you want to give. D4 said there is a rising need for antibiotics like cloxacillin, amoxicillin, and cefalixine. I just called a generics pharmacy and cloxacillin is 7.50 php per tablet, amoxicillin at 4.00 php and cefalixine at 6.00 php. It would be no trouble for me to get the meds. I can donate the meds for you too. However, donations are anonymous but I can send you the receipt of the purchase.

You can donate though my paypal account. Just click the DONATE widget at mid right side of this page. Please stipulate your requests when donating. You can email me at alindog311atyahoodotcom.

Typhoon "Readiness"

On the eve of super typhoon Pepeng (Parma), D1 #1 went straight to my sister-in-law's house after work so as to "save" her car just in case of flooding. All the kids, except D2, were accounted for, Ethan and hubby included.

I fetched D2 somewhere in the South after their group's relief operations in Laguna. D2 said it was only the volleyball team's coach (who is from Laguna) who asked them to consider helping out the affected people in Laguna. Their team was the first one to reach out to those in Laguna. Other relief and rescue missions were concentrating in Marikina, Pasig and Cainta. Horror stories of politicos posing for photo opps are many. What can I say! "LECHE kayo!" More about that issue next time.

Anyway, I packed some clothes to fill up a small suitcase in the event that we had to evacuate. I packed some of Ethan's clothes and all of the important documents like passports and stuff too. My SIL has been calling me to come over to their place but I refused. I said we'll "evacuate" in time. I already bought food, supplies and medicines. I checked the yard for any thing that could be blown off by strong winds. I made sure the mango trees are braced et al. I had candles (scented even), flashlights, and rechargeable lights ready. We had a generator before but it was submerged in flood water too. All our mobile phones and laptops were fully charged. In case of power failure and we can't connect via our regular internet, we have two wireless broadband providers that can just be plugged ala USB in a laptop.

We were ready this time. I went to bed around 1:30 A.M. praying hard that the typhoon would change its course. If it were no for my meds I would not have fallen asleep because of apprehension.

I woke with a start and looked at the bedside clock. It read 6:45 A.M. Something is wrong! My foggy brain can't really focus yet. What is wrong? What?! The sun was streaming in my window and I heard birds chirping. I was expecting to wake up to howling winds and rain battering my house but no! The typhoon changed its course and I thanked God for His graciousness.

I still feel a little bit tired. My thumb is still in a splint and I need to focus on other stuff left forgotten in the aftermath and then the wake of typhoons. Last I heard there's another one brewing. If only I could pack up my bags and go for an orlando vacations I'd do it in a jiffy.

Postponed...

One of the mom's of Ethan's classmate texted me yesterday asking directions to our place for Ethan's birthday party originally slated for today. I have informed Ethan's teachers to tell his classmates that the party is postponed for October 18. However, one classmate was not informed.

Thank God the storm did not directly hit the Philippines. I was up until 1:00 A.M. packing clothes and other important stuff to take with me in case it floods again. My son was up until 7:00 A.M. waiting for the typhoon. Traffic was horrendous last night for people panicked because of a circulated text message claiming that a 195 kph wind-packing storm will hit Metro Manila last night. Whoever started that message shoulf go bang his head on a concrete wall while repeatedly saying "I'm sorry I'm an a_s."

The circuit breakers in the house is still not fully functional. The faucets in the yard submerged in the muddy flood water are all clogged up. There are still a lot of work to be done in and out of the house but hey! we're still lucky and blessed in spite of.

Another Storm Brewing

The house is slowly but surely getting back into shape. I have two people come in to help in the clean up and for three days they cleaned the yard and "washed" the house. Two outlet circuit breakers are still out and I just can't figure out why. I have been calling an electrician to come and check the circuits but I guess he's still swamped with work.

Ethan has not been to school for the past 4 days plus today. He and I are just too tired to go to school. I know! Classes have been suspended for one week but his school is open for those who want to come to school. About 99% of the school population was not affected by the recent flooding. The 1% was Ethan. Crazy! The reason I think was that the school admin didn't want to make up for lost school days so as not to affect the semestral break. I didn't like that. A parent said the school admin was worried because the students were already behind their studies. Give me a freaking break!!! These kids are from ages 2.5 to 7!

Anyway, PAGASA said another mega typhoon will hit the northern part of the Philippines tomorrow. D2 and I went out last night to buy stocks for the pantry, buy my medications, and stock up on candles, flashlights et al. Boy! The supermarket was teeming with panic buyers. I even saw a couple dressed to the nines! The woman was in her sparkly evening gown while the man was in tuxedos! The hardware section of the grocery actually ran out of flashlights that I literally had to run to the mall's hardware store to buy flashlights.

Here's hoping and praying that the typhoon weakens and dies enroute.

Doctor's Code of Ethics

It is included in the Medical Code of Ethics that doctors are not to charge professional fees to parents, spouses and children of fellow doctors. This clause is followed by almost all the doctors that I know - except for my neurologist and hubby's cardiologist. I can understand my neurologist's situation because I was a new patient then and even if he saw D1 hovering in her medical coat with her name and department boldly embroidered in the pocket, his neurons did not work to do 1 + 1 = 2.

The cardiologist is another story. He has been my late father-in-law's cardiologist and he more or less saw D1 from the time she was in med school to the present. The cardiologist is also the doctor of MIL and of D3 when she had seizures three years ago. Since D1 is working at the same hospital as he does, they are, in essence, colleagues. So when hubby was presented with the cardiologist's bill, D1 was really surprised. First, the cardiologist was not even physically present to examine hubby. He just called his residents to run some tests. Second,the cardiologist did not follow the code of ethics. Third, the professional fee was "outrageous"! The surgeon who was hubby's prime doctor charged: "no bill".

Last night, I called my friend Eva, the one who kept asking me about which best weight loss pills she should take, to check up on her. Her house was submerged in flood water too with the water level inside her house chest deep. She said her toe is throbbing and that her hubby slipped and now has a swollen ankle. The throbbing toe concerned me for it was recently operated on and took a really long time to heal because my friend is diabetic. Her hubby is a cardio patient and a diabetic too.

D1 was eating dinner and I told her to hurry up and drop by friend's house for a quick consult. D1 was slow to respond and she said that she can't do anything if the ankle was fractured. I told her that "well, dropping by and looking at their ailments would help". My friends toe is red and swollen. Her hubby's ankle was swollen too. They have four grown-up kids with families who live within a stone-throw away radius from my friend's house. Where were they? This was D1's point. She said that my friend's children should have brought their parents to the hospital for treatment. I answered "Well, they didn't. That's why they are my friends and you are my daughter who is a doctor."

Save Lives. Is that a doctor's main point in being one or has it changed?

Look after your ailing parents. Isn't this the norm anymore?