Busy May Weekends

Summer in the Philippines starts at around the month of March and April.  But for me, my summer just started this May, 2010 (even though it felt like the whole year is going to be summer because of the heat.  It's sooo hot here in our country!)...walang pahingang weekends ito!!!!!

May 1 - Labor Day. I was supposed to have the vaccination against Cervical cancer, but since I had allergies to certain anti-biotic, I was advised not to take it.  So to make the most of the day, my family and I went to Nuvali Park at Sta. Rosa City.  I had posted an article on this.  To read more about it, just click here: I can't take the vaccine...at least for now.

May 8 - PNB HR's Summer Outing @ Baguio City. I wasn't all excited about the trip because I had been in Baguio for so many times.  But then, since it was an office outing + teambuilding, I finally decided to go, but I had to go home after the dinner of May 8 because my family and I would travel to Laguna for Monday's national elections. The whole day of May 8 had been tiring but fun.  I was asleep during the entire ride back to Manila (I took Victory Liner bus, at around 2:00 am of May 9).  Below were some pictures of our summer outing:

Balance! balance!

After dinner (with the PNB Human Resource Group)

A scary thing actually happened to us on the way to Baguio.  Click here for the story: Scary Photo (On the Way to Baguio)

May 9 - The bus from Baguio City finally got to Manila at around 7:00 am.  My hunny was already at the bus terminal, waiting for me.  When we got back at Alabang, I gave my baby Rian a big hug then slept for a while.  Around lunchtime, I packed baby's things (and also mine) because we're going to Laguna (Rian would take a 3-week vacation there with my parents and siblings because my father-in-law would take a gallbladder operation, therefore, our relatives here in Alabang would be busy taking care of him for a while).  I would also sleep overnight at Laguna because of the national elections on May 10.  However, my husband would return to Alabang that day because he was registered in his hometown (and he was a poll watcher.  Raket nya kasi may Php 500 sweldo per meeting cya dun!).

May 10 - It's a National Holiday because it's our country's Presidential Elections.  Time to vote for the one we think could run and manage our country best.  We spent the whole day outside our precint because the line had no system at all and the poll watchers were so pasaway (means they go against the rules).  When the police came over to organize the voters, the flow of voting became fast (at last!).

The line outside the voting precint (before)

 

The line outside the voting precint (almost 8 hours after)

After the voting session, we finally went home.  And it was the time I left my baby, Rian with her grandparents (on my side) fo a 3-week vacation.  My heart ached when I walked away, while Rian was watching me with quizzing eyes.  It was the first time we wouldn't be together for a long time.

May 15-16 - It was also a mother's day last May 10, and it was my husband's birthday last May 13.  But we never did celebrate them because my husband and I planned to have an overnight summer getaway at City of Springs resort at Laguna.  We just visited baby Rian on the morning of May 15 at my parent's house, but my husband and I took off to the resort by lunchtime to check in.  We rented the room with an indoor pool (which later we realized that the water was hot because Laguna is well known to have hot springs resorts).  I would write more detailed story on this next time. :) The next day, we said bye-bye to Rian and left for Alabang to my husband's parent's house where we are currently staying.

May 22 - My husband took a leave on a weekday before this weekend, but he just stayed in the house for the whole day.  That's why he wanted to go spend the day in a mall (specifically Trinoma).  It was also a very hot day, and going to the mall to cool off was one of the greatest idea we could think...and the cheapest one, basta hindi kami magsshopping, hehe.

May 29 - My husband and I traveled back to Laguna on the night of May 28 (Friday) to take baby Rian with us (her vacation is already over).  Then we went to the hospital in Alabang for Rian's check up and vaccination (PCV, Pneumococcal vaccine).  Baby Rian cried a lot and aloud when the shot was given to her!  And she had slight fever the next days due to the shot (and sobrang mukha siyang matamlay), I had to absent from work on Monday to take care of her.

Well, that's the summary of our family's activities during the month of May, 2010.  Summer's ending and we're giving way to the rainy season.  Goodbye hot sunny days! :)

Scary Photo (on the way to Baguio City)

Baguio City, Philippines is well-known to be a city full of ghost stories (and streets full of ghosts, actually).   And this one's probably a proof.  FYI, I didn't edited this photo.  I would like to share this with you so...see for yourself:

Our office department had an outing / teambuilding at Baguio City just this month (May 2010).  This was taken during our midnight trip to Baguio City. Unfortunately, our car broke down at the foot of the mountain. When I took a snapshot picture of one of my officemates, this image was shown-- with a thread-like light behind him. There were no cars around and it was very dark at that time. When we zoomed the digital camera, we found out that there's "someone" in that light. Do you see it? Scary, huh?

Well, Baguio City is not all scary.  It's actually a fun place!  Click here for my other blog story about Baguio City: Reminiscing the Past: Baguio Escapade 

Work vs Family

Last week, an officemate of mine asked me which is more important for me-- my work or my family.  I confidently answered, "my family".  Well, I work for my family, right?  Actually, I was kinda irritated by his question because it sounded sarcastic...or was it just I was being too sensitive because I didn't want to be confronted like that-- choosing between two important aspects of my life, especially by someone who also has a family himself!

The question was actually just a joke, probably a harmless comment said to me because I excused myself from having an overtime that day because it was by husband's birthday (well, the overtime wasn't paid too!).  But I wasn't amused by that joke.  I felt like I was being pressured to decide according to his view in life.  It wasn't the first time he commented on my decisions regarding my family life, and I found his unsolicited comments and advices quite annoying.

I knew some instances wherein the woman chose her career over her family.  The reason for their decision was that they feel empowered and confident when they become successful at work-- which is true, of course and I'm not against it.  But being too much work-focused can also have consequences.  And for my colleagues who chose work over their families (especially their husbands), they ended up having a broken relationship with them (and changing their Facebook status from "married" to "single").

And I also knew some instances wherein the woman gave up her career in order to be with her family and to become a full-pledged homemaker whose life is dedicated to serve her husband and children.  I often wonder how their family are makes ends meet with only the husband who earns money.  But nevertheless, they still survive.

I never wanted to become a workaholic career woman, nor a full-pledged homemaker.  I like to work...but only for the right reason.  I work for my family, not for the love of work itself (though we also have to love our work in order to be happy...but maybe not too much that we neglect to give time and happiness to our family members).  As we work hard to earn money, we should also work HARDER to have and maintain good relationship with our family...and we can achieve this through prioritization and time management.

La lang, nag-vent out lang ako. Peace. :)

I can't take the vaccine...at least for now...

I planned to take the vaccine against Cervical Cancer eversince my OB told me about it 3 years ago after I had my first pap smear exam (which the result was normal, thank goodness!).  But since I got pregnant, I couldn't take the vaccine (and it was expensive--- about 4000+ Php x 3 because it's composed of 3 shots.  I can't afford it back then).  So now that my baby is 9 months old and I'm done breastfeeding her, I realized it's time to consult my OB again and ask for the vaccine, she told me to come back after 10 days because I'm red alert that time (meaning, I had my menstrual period).  After 10 days, I didn't get to visit her again because the company where my husband works had a promo for Cervical Cancer vaccine for their employees and dependents, wherein they can take the 1st shot for only 1500 Php.  My husband eagerly scheduled me to take the shot, since I'm his dependent.  He scheduled it on a Saturday.  I was so happy because I could get it at a lower price.  I really would like to be protected from the cancer.

So we went at my husband's office this afternoon, about 1:00pm.  We brought along our daughter.  He, with our daughter, left me in their clinic to talk with the male nurse (he would be the one to inject me).  The nurse asked me if I'm allergic to eggs and chicken skin, I said "no".  He asked me if I'm allergic to an anti-biotic, I said "yes".  I told him also that I'm allergic to the anti-biotic, Amoxicillin.  Then he had second thoughts on giving me the vaccine shot and there were no doctors present who could give me precautions or explain to me the reactions I could have when I had the shot.  He called their another clinic in another comapny building and the caller also hesitated to go on with the vaccine.  So to make sure, I called my OB instead and told her my situation and asked for her comments.  She told me that I could take the vaccine but if ever I could have a reaction to it, I could take anti-allergy medications (or the worst scenario woud be I could end up in the hospital!).  She had no comments when she learned that the nurse would initiate the shot...because she knows that only doctors have the right to initiate it so that if there are any complications he or she can take full responsibility of it and can give the correct medicine. But she also said that I will not know if I would react to the vaccine if I wouldn't take it.

After the call, I excused myself and searched for my husband and daughter, whe were at his office.  I asked my husband about the situation and he told me that if I don't know the complications, I might as well not take the vaccine.  We can't risk myself ending up in the hospital bed...that's more expensive than the vaccine itself!  And anyway, I also can't risk to take another absence in my work because I do not yet have sick leaves (I'm still in my probationary period because I'm just new the company I'm currently working)).  My 2-days absences last week were unpaid, even though I was absent because I was sick.

So my family and I left the company building, quite disappointed because the allergic reactions was not explained to me by my OB before.  If we just knew about it before, then either we wouldn't waste time and gasoline to go to my husband's office on a Saturday or at least, we would know what to expect and how I can manage the allergy if ever I would have one.

Anyway, the best I can do is to take pap smears (recommended is yearly) and be monogamous in bed (both my husband and I).  I really would like to take the shots because the promo is a good once in a lifetime shot...and being protected from the deadly cancer can save my life, for the benefit of my family, especially our baby and our future children.  But probably not today.  I hope my doctor would explain to me the reactions of the vaccine in detail when we meet for my pap smear exam.

Well, anyway, we still had a nice Labor Day (May 1 holiday) because my family and I went to Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna to stroll in the Nuvali park (which has lots of shops and a boat ride on the big fish pond).  Our baby was not in a good mood, however, because it was soooo hot and she was torn between sleeping and people watching.  Though she had a great time watching the fishes in the pond which look like they hadn't eated for 10 years because they were really pushing each other (and even swimming on top of each other) just to get the fish foods!  Stampede ito!  Then after that, we ate at KFC at South Expressway gas station, then we finally went home at Alabang.

Fishes on stampede! This what happens when you give food to a school of hungry fishes!

Taken at Nuvali Park, Sta Rosa Laguna