Dinner delights

Wifey got hungry after shopping last night. From the supermarket, she headed to Hainanese Delights, where we had our dinner - fried chicken and fish fillet.

Whew!  I had three scoops of rice.

Election 2013 - process of selection & elimination

So, I've chosen my first 6 senatoriables through the process of selection:

1. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel;
2. Edward Hagedorn;
3. Grace Poe-Llamanzares;
4. Ramon Magsaysay Jr.;
5. Richard “Dick” Gordon;
6. Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño.

And, there are still 27 candidates more to choose from.  This time, I've done the process of elimination.

First, I'm against political dynasty; thus, I'm striking out the following:

1. Alan Peter Cayetano - the brother of Sen. Pia Cayetano;
2. Cynthia Villar - the wife of Sen. Manny Villar;
3. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito - the son of Former President Joseph Ejercito Estrada and Mayor Guia Gomez, and half-brother of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada;
4. Juan Edgardo Angara - the son of Sen. Edgardo Angara;
5. Juan Ponce “Jack” Enrile Jr. - the son of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile;
6. Margarita “Tin-Tin” Cojuangco - the Aunt of President Noynoy Aquino;
7. Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay - the daughter of Vice President Jojo Binay, sister of Mayor Junjun Binay and Congresswoman Abigail Binay;
8. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV - the cousin of President Noynoy Aquino.

Eight (8) candidates are stricken out; and, there are 19 more to consider:

1. Antonio Trillanes IV;
2. Aquilino Martin "Koko" Pimentel III;
3. Baldomero Falcone;
4. Christian Señeres;
5. Ernesto Maceda;
6. Eduardo "Eddie" Villanueva;
7. Francis “Chiz” Escudero;
8. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan;
9. Greco Antonious Beda Belgica;
10. John Carlos De Los Reyes;
11. Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri;
12. Loren Legarda;
13. Maria Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal;
14. Maria Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay;
15. Marwil Llasos;
16. Ramon Montaño;
17. Ricardo Penson;
18. Rizalito David;
19. Samson Alcantara;

Could you help me choose or eliminate?

I'm back at the hospital's E.R.

This time, not as a patient but as watcher.

At around 6:00 am, Wifey asked me to bring her to the hospital; as, she had difficulty in breathing since last night.

At the NKTI's E. R., she was checked up, interviewed, oxygenated, nebulized, x-rayed, and whatnot.  And, after four hours, she was discharged.

My will power is tested again.

Sixty (60) days has passed already since I stopped (not quit) drinking booze.  I'm not quitting yet but just trying my best to abstain from drinking for the longest time.  Also, I'm not avoiding the temptations but resisting them.

Last night, my will power was tested again.  Friends from Tacloban City were in town; and, I entertained them.

We started at Via Mare in Greenbelt 3.  Fresh oysters are good with beer.  But, I just found out it's much better with freshly squeezed orange juice.

We transferred to Myron's Place in Greenbelt 5 for our dinner.  We ordered President's steak (one of the house specialties and worth P2,200) on the center; and, I ordered grilled pink salmon for my entree.  What color is best combined with pink?  Brown or green? I chose the latter - a kiwi shake! (Whew! I forgot to take pictures!)

After dinner, it's entertainment time!   Resort World or Solaire?  Guess where?

 At the Eclipse Lounge, we listened to the band while sipping our nightcaps - Super Dry Beer for them and carrot juice for me.

We called it a day at almost 12 midnight.

It's another alcohol free day; and, I'm still surviving!

60 days of no booze!

It has been 60 days, and counting, since I have not tasted alcoholic drinks.  And, believe it or not, I'm still alive.

I miss it, all right; but, I'm not craving for it. 

After today, let's wait and see if I could withstand life without booze totally.  Otherwise, I could just reduce my drinking intensity to an occasional drinker level.

Meantime, while there's no "Cheers", "Hep! Hep! Hooray!"

Another Filipino lunch

Lunch time again!  And, we're back at the Pinoy Fiesta, where we ate yesterday.

The choices today were different from yesterday, except for the sidings and desserts.  I was having a hard time choosing my viand; as, I was torn between oxtail kare-kare and pork dinuguan.  I'd like to get both.  After some thoughts, the latter it was with laing, salted egg and cassava cake.

Pinoy Fiesta stall

My snack - Lettuce sandwich

Lettuce sandwich was my snack this morning and will be this afternoon.  It's supposed to be a kani (synthetic crab meat) sandwich.

Before going to bed last night, I already prepared the ingredients - 4 slices of Gardenia wheat bread, 4 sticks of kani, lettuce, and mayonnaise mixed with cheese, onion, and ground pepper.  These were good for my morning and afternoon snacks at the office today.  This morning, I put them in my Coleman cooler , together with the iced water and 2 bottles of Yakult, and loaded in the car.

Snack time!  While the slices of bread were in the toaster, I put out the other ingredients.  Holy cow!  Where's the kani?  Hence, it became a lettuce sandwich. 

But, it's good and yummy anyway.  Try it!  It's healthy too!

If the election were held today . . .

I'd vote for six (6) candidates only, namely:

1. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel;
2. Edward Hagedorn;
3. Grace Poe-Llamanzares;
4. Ramon Magsaysay Jr.;
5. Richard “Dick” Gordon;
6. Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño.

I'm still thinking whether I'd complete my list to twelve or not.  Anyway, there's a month to go to consider who among the remaining 27 candidates to include in my list.

Whether your list is complete or not, on election day, let's go out and vote!  It's our right!  And, don't waste that right.

Tempting

50 days have already passed since I stopped (not quit yet) drinking booze. And, I haven't  craved for it yet.   I'm just joking if I tell Wifey and others that I'm already chilling and wanted beer, beer, and more beer!

But, when I always open our refrigerator, I drool because I see the two cold brown bottles sitting in there tempting me and telling "Cheers, Tom!".

And, it's very tempting, indeed!  Oh! Temptations, please leave me alone.  Otherwise, I'd drink you.

Could I resist the temptation?  Until when?  That remains to be seen!

Burger dinner

Wifey was at Trinoma yesterday; and, we had our dinner there.  She had her steak; and, I hamburger.

I was supposed to eat something else with rice.  But, I saw this famous burger restaurant.  Intrigued and curious, I, finally, decided to try its burger.

The burgers, as advertised, are made of natural beef patties and topped with fresh crispy lettuce, tomato slice and onions, mayo and ketchup on toasted Sesame Seed Kaiser Bun.

At the price of P165 for a single quarter-pound beef patty, it must be good.  And, it's good, indeed.  The price's worth it.  One of the best, if not the best, burger I've tasted.

Definitely, I'm going back to Army Navy for more and try other selections, especially the burrito.

I suggest you try it too, if you haven't yet.

Go! Go! Green Team

An office mate gave me this green Adidas T-shirt:

" What's this for?, I asked.

"It's your uniform for our company's Annual Sports Fest", she replied.

So, I belong to the Green Team.

The event will be held on May 4, 2013 at Palms Country Club in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.  Last year, it was held at the Island Cove, Cavite.

Green is GO!  Go! Go! Green Team!

No work today!

Today's the anniversary of Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) a.k.a Bataan Day, which is a regular holiday, hence a non-working day.

So, I have another day of mountain biking.

Yippee!

Starting my day right . . . with The Beatles

"Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away 
Now it looks as though they're here to stay 
Oh, I believe in yesterday
 
Suddenly I'm not half the man I used to be  
There's a shadow hanging over me 
Oh, yesterday came suddenly
 
Why she had to go
I don't know, she wouldn't say 
I said something wrong  
Now I long for yesterday
 
Yesterday love was such an easy game to play 
Now I need a place to hide away 
Oh, I believe in yesterday
 
Why’d she have to go? 
I don't know, she wouldn't say  
I said something wrong  
Now I long for yesterday
 
Yesterday love was such an easy game to play 
Now I need a place to hide away 
Oh, I believe in yesterday"

I'm a fan of The Beatles; and, I love most, if not all, their songs.

Despite the break-up of the band in 1970, or more than 40 years ago, there's one radio station that still plays their songs in one full hour from 5 am to 6 am on weekdays.  The program's ID is, "Have a good breakfast with The Beatles and start your day right!".

Fortunately, the program is synchronized with my time and duration of going to the office.  To avoid the morning rush hours traffic, I usually leave early at about 5 am and arrive at about 6 am.  And, to start my day right, I tune in to DZRJ 100.3 FM.

Since I'm driving, I could not have my good breakfast yet.  So, I drive with The Beatles and start my day right!

Getting better

Good news!  My medical conditions have been improving.  Here are the results of my tests last Thursday and the check up with my doctor yesterday.

Shrinking:

The ultrasound showed that the complex mass in my liver has been decreasing.  From 266 cc before I was discharged to 166 cc a week after my discharge to 105 cc another week after and, now, to 29 cc after another 2 weeks.

With this development, my doctor has already stopped prescribing antibiotics.

I'm still sweet:

The FBS test revealed that my sugar level has also reduced.  It's now 7.26 mmol/L (132 mg/dL) from 10.62 mmol/L (193 mg/dL) two weeks ago, albeit still over the normal range of 3.90 - 6.30 mmol/L (70 - 115 mg/dL).

My doctor maintained my medicines but advise me to be on diet.

Extra protection:

I also had a shot of Flu Vaccine.  The last time I had it was in 2009.

My next tests and consultation are scheduled a month after.  My fingers are still crossed.

Oh!  I forgot to ask my doctor If I could now drink!

Back to my doctor

Yesterday, I've done my 2 medical tests - the FBS and Ultrasound.

Today, it's time to see my doctor again for my routine check-up and for the analysis of the results.  Her clinic hours are from 10:00 AM to 12:00 NN.  I arrived at her clinic at about 9:45 AM; but, the doctor isn't IN yet.  So, I queued my name on the waiting list - I'm 3rd on the list.  Then, I left and got the ultrasound result. Wifey already picked up my FBS result.

We were waiting for the arrival of my doctor when  her secretary broke the bad news that the good doctor wouldn't be IN until 12:00 NN.  Whew!  That's another hour and 15 minutes of waiting.

My patience was again being tested.

11:30 AM - 30 more minutes of waiting,  i.e., if she arrived at exactly 12:00 NN.

12:00 PM - I saw her coming.  Great!

12:30 PM - My name was called.

12:40 PM - The consultation's over.  And, I coming back a month after.

After paying the charges, we left and looked for a restaurant.  We're already starving!

A Big Surprise!

Mae, our cute niece, just gave us a BIG SURPRISE!

It's shocking, at first; but, later, we accepted it and welcomed the developments.

I'm wishing you the best of luck, Mae.

I'd post later what's the big surprise.

That's fast, really fast!

I was scheduled for Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) test this morning; hence, my fasting last night.

We arrived at the hospital at about 6:30 AM.  I requested Wifey to go to the Laboratory first and queue; while, I parked our car.

As usual, the place was already full of patients.  I was fifth in line at Step 1 - Charging and Request Generation.  Since I used my Medicard, I'd skip Step 2 - Payment to Cashier.  While waiting to be called at Step 1, I persuaded the in-charge of the queuing  for a number for Step 3 - Blood Extraction.  And, I was eighth in line.

And, surprisingly, the process took only 25 minutes to complete.  And, that's fast compared to my previous FBS test two (2) Thursdays ago.  The process then took 1 hour and 30 minutes.  Had I not deceived the personnel at the Extraction Section, I could have protracted my waiting for another hour.  Already bored, I proceeded to the Extraction Section.  I requested the personnel there if she could prioritize me; as, I was about to over-fast.  She granted my request with an advice that I should be earlier next time.

It's good I was not able to use my supply of plenty of patience.

We'll be back tomorrow for consultation with my doctor.

Fasting

It's about 11:00 PM; and, I'm eating my last snack, a Yumburger, for today.

For 8 to10 hours henceforth, I'm prohibited to eat or drink anything (even water).  It's called "fasting".  It's a prerequisite to my Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) test, which is scheduled tomorrow morning.  I could only eat and drink after the blood sample has been extracted from my vein.

FBS test determines how much sugar one has in his blood.  The normal values are 70 - 110 mg/dl.  One has diabetes if the sugar level is more than 110 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter).

My doctor found out about my diabetes; hence, she's now monitoring my blood sugar level.  She also prescribed diabetic drugs, which I'm taking religiously.

Tomorrow, I have to be at the hospital very early because of the long queue of patients at the Medical Laboratory.  Last time, I arrived at the Laboratory at around 6:30 AM and was served at around 8:00 AM.  I'll also bring lots of patience.

After the extraction, I'll eat first then proceed to the Diagnostic Center for my liver ultrasound.

I'm hoping for a good results.  Wish me good luck!

I drink beer at last!

Defying my doctor's order, I drank beer last night.  At last!  Had Wifey known about this, she'd definitely get fuming mad!

I was so excited and chilled upon holding the first ice-cold brown bottle.  Cheers!  Since I've not tasted a drop for 41 straight days, the first gulp was as sweet as honey.  And, after some more bottles, I felt so refreshed and invigorated.

When I was about to open my sixth bottle, I suddenly woke up; then, I realized that I was dreaming.

That was a GOOD dream, indeed!  I'd better sleep again and continue my drinking spree!

We've earned US$94.40, so far

Now that I'm back blogging and upon Wifey's request, I just checked my Google Adsense earnings.  What's this Adsense?

"Google AdSense is a free, simple way for website publishers of all sizes to earn money by displaying targeted Google ads on their websites. AdSense also lets you provide Google search to your site users, while earning money by displaying Google ads on the search results pages."

Did you understand it?  Let me explain it.  If you have a website or blog, you can display Google ads on it.  If the ads are clicked by your site visitor; then, you'd earn money albeit not much per click.  It's not bad, though; as you are earning just sitting down and relaxing while waiting for someone to click the ads.  Did you understand me?

I signed up a long time ago in 2007; and, I included all my blogs and that of Wifey's in my Adsense account to maximize our earnings.  When I stopped earning money out of my blogs, I also forgot about my account and my earnings.

And, as of February 28, 2013, our total earnings is a whooping $94.40 (about $16 a year).  But, we could only withdraw it, if it reached $100.  So, we need to earn $5.60 more.

And, my next move is to optimize my Adsense to earn more and fast.

This blog is not yet qualified for the Adsense; but, I definitely include it when it does.

Wanna earn some money too?  Sign up now.

My Calendar - May 2013

May 1, 2013 - Labor day

May 2, 2013 - FBS / Ultrasound

May 3, 2013 - Medical check-up

May 4, 2013 - Sports Fest

May 13, 2013 - Election day

May 14, 2013 - Trisha Mae's 20th birthday

May 15, 2013 - Mae & Paolo's wedding

Back to work

Monday again!  And, it's April already!

Sadly, it's back to work after the Lenten season celebration, which was a long 4-day holiday.  I'm pretty sure the traffic this morning rush hours is going to be terrible.  Many of those who have gone out of town are just coming back today to the Metropolis.

So, to avoid the anticipated monstrous traffic, I'll again leave home early at 5 AM.

Have a nice and enjoyable Monday!  Oh, by the way, today is April's Fool.  So, watch out for pranks!