One thing that made me a wee bit insecure amongst my friends last weekend was my lack of facial regimen and/or derma visits.  Shey, Betty, and Mitch were comparing the applications they put on their faces, showing this small bottle and that.  Heck, make-up is alien to me; what more derma gook?

Hmmm, is my face colossally suffering now and/or should I be worried that my face will suffer drastically at a later age?  Simple soap and water are good enough for me; sunblock when we have outdoor activities that’ll be under the sun for almost the whole day; my magical savlon for the occasional period-induced pimple — that is if they get embarrassingly big.  Hahaha, those who are into proper skin care may be cringing now. 

Oh well, as Kris and I put it, our money seem better spent on trips and/or gadgets. 

            Aside from antibiotics, the doctor prescribed Tuseran Forte.  I hear/see commercials of this cough & cold medicine; but this is the first time I’m gonna be taking it.

Damn, I should have consulted my MIMs book prior our Subic trip (I got to do so last night lang).  Kaya pala I felt like I was bulldozed over and had a terrible flu eh:   

            TUSERAN FORTE

(REFORMULATED)

United Lab

Special Precautions – Glaucoma, prostatic enlargement,

hyperthyroidism, hypertension, CV disorders, diabetes.  Not recommended for infants.

            Adverse Reactions – Nausea, dizziness, nervousness, insomia, headache,

muscular weakness, increased BP, palpitation

            *source: MIMS Philippines 104^th ed, 2005, p. 87

Except for the increased BP (‘coz I don’t have BP taking device with me to know for sure) and insomia, I felt all the adverse reactions listed; plus horrible colds (that made my nose so painful and red; ears partly deaf; and taste buds non-functional), cough, sinus, and fever.   

- - - - -

At least I survived the weekend and I feel better enough to go to work today. It was just a downer to be out of town with friends, but sick and weak to move about with them. 

As I lay alone in the house we had for ourselves at Forrest Hills in SBFZ, while my friends were touring around and getting lunch, the baby that I am just started crying.  One, I am a scaredy-cat in being alone in a house which is hardly lived in or had previous occupants I do not know — imagine the ‘beings’ that may have decided to ‘stay’ there or those that may have lingered there.  Two, my temperature got hotter after an hour they left that any part of me touching the surface on the bed felt like burning.  Three, I was getting hungry and longing for my childhood comfort food whenever I’m sick — sausage mcmuffin and pancakes.  Thank goodness the bath I wobbled myself into did wonders cooling my skin; and my friends soon after got back with some cup noodles to warm me up. 

- - - - -

            It’s been long since I last went to Subic, more so in Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ).  Gosh, there are so many changes from how I remembered the place.  There are a lot of establishments now; El Kabayo housing actually looks dowdier and weird with them being differently painted; and there are a lot of people and vehicles milling around.

            The first time I went to SBFZ, it was not yet known as such.  It was still then a U.S. Naval Base.  I had my first liquor ice cream there at age 8 — left me groggy on the way home.  I also had my first encounter with a big vendo machine there with which I was given a quarter just to try it out.  And I remember being lost in an air-conditioned toilet ‘coz the restaurant we were at had giant patrons — imagine a little girl trying to find her way amidst tall American Navy people. 

            Then, Mt. Pinatubo erupted and soon thereafter, the base was converted into a Freeport Zone. The only commercial complexes there when it opened as such were Royal Subic, National Bookstore and the hobby store beside it (where they sold fighter jets to assemble and stick decals on — yup, I bought a couple then J), Cubi Toystore (near where the bats are), the PX goods area near the Olongapo gate (where Wimpy’s is still located), and Dutyfree.  I remember Building 229 — the administration building, the gigantic Philippine Flag, the chapel, the big gazebo, the bomb bunkers, and the airport being used primarily by Fedex only. El Kabayo and Binictican housing were in plain white.  Brent still looked like a school – with drawings tacked on boards.  Soon, there was Subic International Hotel, the airport was inaugurated to take commercial flights, and the Tipo tollgate/road/tunnel was constructed. 

            
In 1996, my dad arranged a vacation there for my whole highschool barkada.  All 14 of us were complete then (plus two close faculty friends, Macky and Broty).  Last weekend, only 4 of us came back (thanks to shey’s friend who booked a house for us).  Most of the original group were busy to make it or are already in the US to be with us.  Sigh, I miss the great times and us being complete…

AT THE CLINIC 

Doctor:  O, we should start on antibiotics na because your throat inflammation is moderate to severe already.  If you don’t take antibiotics, it would be worse this weekend.

Ria: (expecting so) Yes, doc. 

*The doctor scribbled the name of the antibiotics I should ask the meds dispensing counter. 

Meds Dispenser: Ay, doc, wala na nitong XXXX.

Doctor:  E yung YYYY?

Meds Dispenser: Wala na rin.

Doctor:  E yung ZZZZ?

Meds Dispenser: Wala na rin.

Doctor: Ano na lang ba nandyan?

Meds Dispenser: Yung AAAA na lang.

Doctor: O sige na nga, yun na lang.

Ria: Huh?!  (bubble thought:  is this for real? Safe kaya talagang inumin ko yung meds?)

* One officemate’s theory:  Maybe you’re being used as a medical experiment.

* Jove’s theory: Maybe, they first dispense the cheap meds kaya siguro ubos na the ones the doctor initially asked for.  So, in effect, you probably got one of the most expensive and good antibiotics J

I truly hope the latter theory is correct!

• I just came from the institution’s clinics.  Yeah, I feel that bad.  My sore throat worsened.  I now have dry cough, heavy feeling in my lungs, colds, aching joints, and a slight fever — symptoms of an incoming flu and my loss of voice.  What a time for my busted knee to strike pa (I just can’t seem to snap the loose tendon back as fast as I usually can).  Oh well, at least I got more meds (plus antibiotics) from the clinic and I got request forms for my annual chest x-ray, urinalysis, and blood chem from the doc na rin. 

Bad timing lang ‘coz my 096 barkada and I will be going to

Subic

for the weekend.  At least Betty will be the one behind the wheels. I’ll just sleep off my sickness during the travel and when we get there. 

• Speaking of the clinic, mental note to myself — bring my own thermometer the next time I go there.  Yeah, I believe they disinfect the medical instruments there, but the thought of hundred other people popped the thermometers in their mouths is icky.  Arte?  No, seriously; icky di ba? J

• Super excited for and proud of my bro!  He’ll be transferring to a solo apartment na in LA!  To think he’s doing everything without any help — especially from the relatives of our biological mother who prodded him to go there in the first place.  Yeah, it was too good to believe we could trust them; in the end they shed their sheep costume and came out as the wolves they really are.  Thank goodness talaga we grew up with papa! 

Aze sent me an sms thanking me for the photos I sent (taken during Faye’s wedding). Super documented daw kasi pati fru-fru (a term I borrowed from pixie which I interpret as super outlandish) bag nya has a photo.  I told her, those are the moments/stuff that should not let us pass us by (yep, Kodak byline). 

Nothing fancy though.  I’m not into nor know anything about photography; my past cameras and present digi-cam aren’t even top of the line for their time; I don’t aim for the perfect lighting/speed.  But, during special occasions or any group gathering, I make it a point to at least snap a shot.  Sometimes, I even create a moment just to at least get a shot — cases in point:  “Chief Justice, pwedeng mag-pa-picture?” and “Mildz, stop the car; let’s pose with that cow at the rice field as souvenir we got lost in the middle of no where here in Tarlac!” J 

Since college, Kris and I are separately known for always whipping out a camera for “picture-picture.”  Yeah, we can be pretty embarrassing to have around ‘coz we order friends to pose at public places like all time ‘turistas’ (I think Kris can get worse than I ‘coz I can be shy sometimes but him, he’s always with the excuse, “pose na, hindi mo na makikita naman mga tao dito eh). 

Looking at my albumssss, the embarrassing moments and weird places to pose at, are worth it!  At least I got stills of great memories with family and friends. 

So, can you just imagine the photos of Kris and I, together?  Tons and priceless!  Hahahaha. J

Aside:  the generation now is so lucky they got digi-cams.  My childhood photos (that survived the floods) do not even have negatives anymore.  They are big and were printed in black and white by papa (like for the newspapers before).  I had no re-shoots for the perfect pose.  But thank goodness, papa did take several good ones J. 

I’ve been using papa’s PJI memo tablets for my research notes in the office for some time now.  Earlier today, a piece of paper suddenly fell from the one I am currently using.  The paper contained some of his scribbling.  Wow, I haven’t seen much of that for a while now.

During dinner at Proj. 2, Tita Vicki, Angel, and Tita Fay told me they saw a man who looked so much like papa.  They were so surprised with the similarities that they took photos of him pa!  When I saw the developed photos, I was sooooo creeped out!  Damn, the man super looks like papa that if I include the photos in our family albums, no one would even question who the man is.  I just can’t believe it!

The photos… the man I saw before in Cash & Carry…  my delusion that papa is just still in the hospital and will come home soon after his chemo treatment or when the internal bleeding stops…

I miss papa L.

I’m super pissed over what Kris describes as the ‘small stuff’ — me being late today.  Yeah, he has a point; but then again, I can’t afford to be late kasi.  One, on ordinary days, I was still not to be considered late this morning; but since the office reprieve-system changed today without me knowing it, ayun late.  Two, if the Leaves Division was clear with their rules, my computation of leaves would have been different and I would have adjusted my absences during September (Long and weird details. Samples: We earn credits but we have to have .50 left the whole time, ergo we kinda ‘waste’ that .50 as we can’t max out, right?  We earn monthly credits, but we can’t use them for the month we earned them; we can only do so the next month  where we also earn such month’s credits.  Gets?)

Just to be sure I’m not so out of it, I called the Leaves Division for a sample computation so I can verify for myself that I can get away with my few minutes off today.  After a winding discussion, I finally thanked the person I was talking with.  But, just before she puts down the receiver (intentionally na rin siguro), I heard her say to her officemates, “Naku, pinahirapan pa ako nun!”

Whadda?!  Is she kidding me?! That’s her job…kaya nga Leaves Division eh!  To think basic inquiries lang ginawa ko. 

Kris says the usual trying to appease me, “Gobyerno eh.  Maraming ganung tao talaga.”

Sigh, kung ganun, I just don’t fit their mold then ‘coz the hell with that excuse!  It shouldn’t be the case…kaya tayo backwards nation eh!

Double sigh, if only we have clear cut rules and a manual where such rules are stated. Play by ear lagi for almost a year now eh. 

To think my transfer in May is still not fully ironed out cleanly.  I still don’t have my payslips and according to Jove’s computation, my monetary remunerations still lack some bucks.  Booyeah, I did follow up my payslips a couple of times already. 

Ok, enough ranting. 

I bet I have more later as I travel from the office to QC to visit some relatives (birthday and assess a ‘situation’).  If driving is Betty’s hobby; I swear, for me, it makes me crazy!  Ill-disciplined city drivers on the loose?  Hell!  Oh well, this belongs in another ranting session.   

Some DVDs and movies…

• “How I Met Your Mother”  season 1 — The series, I believe, is still not being shown on local nor cable TV.  It’s quite funny and Neil Patrick Harris a.k.a. “Doogie Howser, MD” is one of the lead stars.  He’s my fave character there ‘coz he’s evilly funny — he does or says stuff my evil mind dreams of actually doing, hehehe.  Watch if you come across it for some belly laughs J.

• “The Guardian”  — too cheesy/sappy/tacky; ¾ of the storyline and the ending could have been improved ‘coz the beginning was promising; by the middle, I was already telling Kris, “to think, Ashton still haven’t gone on duty to save lives yet…so how long will this still take?” Yeah, I didn’t like it. 
• “World Trade Center” — it was okay; brought back memories of 9/11 (all the CNN and FOX news I watched); I got a bit choked up seeing again those clips where people were jumping off the towers (but the depiction were not enough to make me booohooohooo cry); hated the actress who portrayed the wife of John ‘coz she hardly showed any emotion (did she even shed a tear ba?); good moral of the story (seeing the good over the evil done that day). 

Ok, call me super arte, but I just can’t concentrate working right now.  The smell of mouse weewee really bothers me.  I’ve wiped my whole cube with a rag drenched in alcohol.  Heck, I poured cologne all over me.  Yet, the yucky smell lingers.  I’m waiting ‘til after lunch to spray Lysol so as not to poison the food of anyone (yes, my ahrc batchmates, I have my own can of Lysol spray in the office J). 

As I mentioned before, of all senses, my olfactory is sensitive big time — great for snooping, terrible for comfort’s sake! 

·         wow, check out this cool savings card from Shell! Got so for free pa in Shell Magallanes (but Kris said they’re out of stock na).

·        Last days of hectic October, but just a little over 50% of my accomplishment list. 

·        Mapecon October baits just nailed one huge rat in the garden — yehey!  I hope they all die and never make the mistake of entering our house again! However, our office is now being pestered by little mickeys!  Eeeeeew!  Double eeeeeew, I saw three mouse poo on my desk!  Triple eeeeew, two mickeys got trapped inside my officemate’s waste bin. Quadruple eeeeeew, another officemate ‘judicially’ executed them .  Quintuple eeeeeew, I still smell mouse-weewee in the air (maybe seeped through our carpeting).  You betcha, ria cleaners out! J

·        Great to see you this morning, Bane!  Hehehe, sorry for the super quick PNB visit; I can’t afford to be late this October kasi.  I hope my installer works.  See you again soon!

·        Mel, I hope mahanap ng mailman n’yo Kuya’s missing package.  Please inquire ha?  I have full trust in U.S. Post.  Hindi kaya iniwan sa doorstep n’yo and some thief got it?  Sigh, sayang naman the stuff.