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A work in progress

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Time out po ulit

Mga friends, sorry po at kelangan ko na naman magpaalam sa inyo. Mawawala po ulit ako for the rest of the week. I need to attend to some hospital responsibilities kaya I will be "internetless" for the next few days. Mahirap na, baka mapagalitan ng mga bosses ko.

Meanwhile, I will leave you with these very inspiring words...

"Never regret the choices you make, just believe in yourself and have faith. Life isn't perfect, its a blend of joy and sorrow, but whatever life leads you to, its because of a purpose."



God bless and see you next week!


Posted by nikki:: 5/31/2006 11:47:00 AM
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Saturday, May 27, 2006

Life is a matter of moments of time

To those of you who are curious as to my whereabouts for the past weeks - my whole family went on a grand vacation! Yipee! This is a first for us after more than 20 years. Between school, duties and our business, this is the first time in years that we were able to pack our bags and go. We wanted to go visit Hongkong Disneyland with some relatives but because of our tight schedules, we didn't push thru with the trip. Then my Papa suddenly said, "Let's go to Agusan!". I didn't know if he was serious then but fast forward 3 months before our May holiday, I found myself looking at hotels and checking airline/boat schdules online, Papa was indeed serious!

Agusan del Norte is my father's hometown and my brother and I haven't had a single vacation there in 21 years, not even to attend both my grandparents' funeral several years ago. I know it was remiss of us but we didn't have any money then so we didn't have any choice. So imagine our excitement at the prospect of visiting the place.

My memories of our last trip to Agusan were vague. All I remember was my 80 year old grandfather groping with thread and needle (because he was half-blind already) to make a pouch for his money while asking me in English how I am. During World War II, my grandfather was educated by several Americans and proceeded to graduate in highschool then on to a Certificate in Teaching. He didn't know how to speak Tagalog, I didn't know how to speak Bisaya so we were left with English. It wasn't really difficult for me because Lolo mostly kept to himself. He was happiest tending to his plants. My grandmother was also a teacher but knew how to speak Tagalog so communicating with her wasn't a problem. Another memory was us eating buko fresh from the coconut tree with spoons fashioned from coconut husk. Yummy!


buko trees at the family farm


Papa was determined to make us experience it all. He wanted to show us a glimpse of his childhood and college days in Cebu now that my brother and I are both adults. He also wanted to re-introduce us to his relatives, at the same time introduce my sister-in-law and show off our Tricia.

We had so much fun! It was nice to see my Papa's sisters and a myriad relatives after so many years. I felt very welcome, it was like coming home. Everyone was so accomodating and helpful. I was once again reminded of how simple life is in the province. After the hustle and bustle of Manila, laid back Agusan was a welcome change for all of us.


children and teenagers diving from a hanging bridge


We only stayed in Agusan for 5 days and everyone was reluctant to come back to Manila. While on our way to the airport and again while waiting for our flight, we made a promise not to be strangers again to this place which gave us 5 days of bliss.

And so I say... Agusan, see you in 2008!


Posted by nikki:: 5/27/2006 11:06:00 PM
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Thursday, May 25, 2006

Tag from Duke

Sorry po at nawala na naman ako. Pero huwag kayong mag-alala, ikukwento ko naman sa inyo soon kung saan ako nagpunta.

Anyway, I got tagged by DUKE in her latest post...

Instructions: Name ten (10) of life's simple pleasures that you like the most, the pick ten (10) people to do the same. Try to be original and creative and not to use things that someone else has already used.

Here are 10 of my life's simple pleasures

1. lounging in bed with a good book
2. spending time with my family
3. realizing that God has been giving me so many blessings
4. listening to MYMP
5. reminiscing with my father about his childhood
6. a ride at the back of a motorcycle
7. marathon kwentuhan with my friends (blogger friends included)
8. Tricia reaching out for me saying "mama"
9. eating fishball
10. getting a smile from a complete stranger


My friends, I want to know what makes YOU happy. You are all invited to post your answers either as a comment to this post or as a post in your own blogs.

Thanks!



Posted by nikki:: 5/25/2006 01:30:00 AM
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Saturday, May 13, 2006

'Nay you're the best!


Babysitting Tricia a couple of months ago, I realized how hard it is to be a mother. If you really do not love this little person, I am sure you will not take care of her every need. This little person is depending on you to feed her, bathe her, change her diaper, play with her and rock her to sleep, not taking your eyes off her even for just a second because she keeps standing up in her high chair. Day in and day out until she gets old enough to do things on her own, you should be there. I do not blame moms if they get pissed off at times. Taking care of a child is one huge responsibility, it is a very tiring 24/7 job. Can you imagine how it is for working moms?

My own mother was herself a working mom, until I was 11 years old. She had a lot of help because I had a yaya and loads of excited relatives (I was the first apo/pamangkin) who took turns playing yaya for the day. Weekends was however strictly mama time. She was practically a single parent too that time because my father was an OFW. When my brother and I started going to school, she let go of the yaya and made us stay in school (my Mama taught highschool English and Home Economics) with her. Everyday, my brother and I would go to school with her lugging our school bags and Mama lugging our "diaper bag" full of toys, food and a change of clothes. She gave up her career when we transferred to Manila, opting to take care of us herself. Until now, me already a pediatrician and my brother with his own family already, Mama still takes care of us. I am not ashamed to say that because she is happiest that way, it is what she does best.

Although my mother and I do not sometimes see eye to eye, I couldn't imagine life without her. I know she won't be with me forever. No matter how hard I hold on, one day, I won't have any choice but for now, I will hold on tight.

Let us all hug and kiss our moms this Mother's Day. Let her know how much you love her, write her a letter or give her a card. Make her proud. Pray for her and thank God everyday for giving you to her.


To all mothers:

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!


Posted by nikki:: 5/13/2006 01:24:00 AM
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Thursday, May 04, 2006

"It is our choice that shows what we truly are, far more than our abilities"

I again covered for my mentor because of an out of town convention she had to attend. I should be happy because it is an opportunity for me to learn. You see, she gets to see an average of more than 50 patients per clinic day and that is excluding her admitted patients. Not everyone is willing to see a substitute so I don't mind if relatives back out when they see that I am the one looking at patients. Yes, I do get to see lots of different illnesses in her clinic, I really appreciate that what I am dreading though is the part where you meet different types of people who can really test your patience.

The other day, this young couple came to the clinic sans her children (she has 2 and I have seen her kids before at the clinic). The woman was due for her second dose of Hepatitis B vaccine. Since it was only for a vaccine, I didn't mind attending to her. Sitting down opposite me, her husband sitting at the other chair near the door reading a book, she asked me if she could ask me something concerning her housemaid. Apparently, the 30+ year old housemaid was diagnosed with hyperthroidism several months ago, was prescribed medications but was not compliant because the medicine was expensive. Could I prescribe a cheaper medicine for her? She asked me lots of questions that I answered as best as I could. I was uncomfortable answering the mom's question because (1) the patient was not with her, (2) the patient was an adult and (3) hyperthyroidism is not a simple illness and I am not in the best position to treat her. I told the mom that it would be best if the housemaid see an endocrinologist to treat her. The husband suddenly butted in, looked at me and spoke to his wife in another language which I obviously didn't understand then went back to reading his book. I really was offended by the husband's attitude. If he wanted to read his book, he should've just stayed outside in the waiting room, if he wanted to hear what her wife and I was talking about, he should've had the courtesy to set his book aside and listened to us. I knew he was listening to us because he looked up several times from his book to look at me and his wife. Its okay to butt in the conversation but he should've done so in a language that I can at least understand unless of course he wanted to say something that he didn't want me to hear. Ang bastos di ba? I finished the consultation quickly with my temper on tight rein.

I really cannot understand why some people feel so superior or why some people do not even have an ounce of courteousness in them. I also cannot understand why some rich people think that just because they are rich, they can get away with an "I own the world so you should worship me" attitude. Mahirap bang gumalang sa kapwa? If only we learn how to respect ALL the people we meet everyday, the world would be a better place to live in.


Posted by nikki:: 5/04/2006 11:18:00 PM
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Monday, May 01, 2006

Tag ni Ella Rose

Matagal-tagal na din itong assignment na ito ni Ella pero ngayon ko lang nasagot. Pasensya na my friend!


Rules: List of seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre. Whether or not they have words or even if they're any good, they must be the songs you enjoy right now. Post this instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs then tag 7 people and see what they are listening to.

1. Miss You by MYMP

Just by the title alone, you'll know what the song is all about na. Sometimes, there are just things/persons that you wish you can have back but you know you can't.

2. Someone To Watch Over Me by Joni James

I "noticed" this song after watching the Aga Muhlach-Regine Velasquez movie, I just forgot the title. This is Regine's and her dad's favorite song in the movie.

3. Panunumpa by Carol Banawa

This is actually a praise song that is popularly becoming a wedding song. I don't know if you guys have heard it already but it's really a very beautiful song. My favorite line goes...

... yakapin mong bawat sandali
at mapapawi ang takot sa 'kin, pangakong walang hanggan

at mapapawi ang takot sa 'kin pagkat taglay lakas mong angkin

4. Barney Song

It's Tricia's song for the week. :-D

5. Leader of the Band by Dan Fogelberg

... the leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old
but his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul

6. Paalam Na by MYMP

... Paalam na
Nasaan man ngayon
May iba mang mahal
Pangako'y di nagtagal

7. Average Joe by Y-Not (not sure about the artist)

I like the beat of this song but not the lyrics.


Posted by nikki:: 5/01/2006 10:54:00 PM
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