Sunday, October 25, 2009

Co-Sleeping With Your Baby

You probably have encountered the term co-sleeping while you were finding more ways to get your kids to sleep better. I know I did! I never realized it would be too difficult to make children sleep until I had Ella!

I learn so much from parenting sites on the Internet, especially from Dr. Sears and Elizabeth Pantley. From them I found out that sleep for babies is not only their way of reviving their energy but a whole lot more. In fact, it's almost everything! It contributes to babies appetite, health, intelligence, information retention and most of all, to their happiness!

Ella and I: breastfeeding days

Knowing that sleep is VERY IMPORTANT to babies, I incorporated a sleep schedule for Ella according to Elizabeth Pantley's "No Cry Sleep Solution" book. This includes a 1-2 hour nap in the morning and another one in the afternoon. This was very successful that Ella slept through the night since she was 3 months! I just had to make sure that when she is not in her usual still sleep state (...approximately every 3 hours), I should give her a milk bottle.

I had problems when Ella turned 1. It was easy to make her nap at 10 in the morning but was very difficult to get her to nap again at 4:00 in the afternoon. I turned to Ms. Pantley again. And from "No Cry Nap Solution", I found out that I needed to switch from 2 naps to only 1 nap. AND IT DID WORK!!! I just tailored the nap to start a little later than her previous 1st nap...around 12nn. She now sleeps for 2-3 hours during her nap and sleeps the whole night again!

This whole time that I was sleep training my daughter, she was sleeping in our bed: Co-sleeping, Bed-Sharing and Sleep-Sharing in more popular terms. She'd usually take the side nearest the wall, followed by me and then my hubby. I know this is something common for people here in the Philippines as a way of life (small house, few rooms, few beds, etc...). But we may have overlooked that this has a lot of benefits.

Here the benefits we personally experienced with co-sleeping:

1. Easier Night-Time Feeding, therefore...
2. A Longer and Better Quality of Sleep for Both Parents and Baby, and...
3. A Longer, Well Rested and Happier State of Awakeness.
4. Better Memory Retention for the Baby.
5. Tight Parent-Child Bond.
6. Easy Coping with Separation Anxiety for the Baby.

I am a call center agent who has an ever changing schedule but I still get to rest a lot. Sometimes, I schedule my rests/sleep to go with Ella's naptimes/sleeptimes. If I cannot join Ella in her sleep, I instruct the nanny to still maintain Ella's sleep schedules and sleep with her. Also, I don't know if it's just us, but there are times when Ella would stick out a hand or a foot out of her bed space just to find out if there's anybody beside her while she's sleeping. If she doesn't feel anyone, she'd wake up right away.

I'm planning to keep this style of sleeping until Ella finds out what's going on while she's asleep. *winkwink*

Love lots,

Monday, October 19, 2009

Protecting Yourself from Holiday Crimes

It's Christmas season and as we all know, crime rates, especially theft rises when we're nearing Christmas. I feel it's kind of ironic, because we are supposed to celebrate the coming of our Savior but some people just forget the idea. Well anyway, how do we make sure that our hard earned money will be kept safely until the time we need them? Here are a few tips:


1. Bring credit cards, instead of cash, when making big purchases such as appliances and gadgets.

2. When you ride a cab, always text someone you trust/love with the cab name and plate number. If you have a lot of time, you can also ask for the driver's name, the operator's name/company, and the carbarn address and text those information too. Whether the driver is thinking of doing anything harmful to you or not, asking him these questions would make him think twice, even a couple more times. And just in case the driver is really a criminal (God forbid), at least your loved one has records.

3. Avoid being in very crowded places. If you must, remove/keep your jewellry and expensive accessories which is eye candy for thieves. Walk fast and stay away from people who look suspicious.

4. When waiting for transportation however, or anything else for that matter, stay in places that are well lit and with lots of people.

5. I know you've heard about people pretending to have a domestic fight with anyone, only to kidnap, rape, or mug them right? I'm sure it would be a difficult situation to be in, especially here in the Philippines because the majority wouldn't want to meddle with domestic issues. Haven't experienced this, but I received an email about one lady just grabbing a random seller and tried to convince him that she is with someone she doesn't know and who's trying to do harm to her. I suggest that we do everything we can in our willpower to make a scene and shout out what's truly going on.

5. Don't look at people in the eye, especially strangers. There's a modus operandi wherein the thief would make use of hypnotism to bring you somewhere and make you follow instructions even without your consent.

6. Never post too much information about yourself, you family and whereabouts on the Internet. If you must blog about events, do it after the event had already taken place and not before. Or else bad people may come up with a plan to stalk you or your family members.

7. Travel with a companion.

8. Don't bring too much cash if unnecessary.

9. Have emergency numbers ready on speed dial.

10. Never ask for a stranger's help when using the ATM. And never count your money after a withdrawal. Your bank will have means of returning your money if you don't get the correct amount but they wouldn't be able to help you if you were mugged.

11.Buy gifts one at a time as early as possible. Avoid the holiday rush and buying everything at one time. If it wouldn't be too much, buy gifts online ---FROM TRUSTED SELLERS!

12. If you are already in that creepy situation of being held up, don't fight it (unless you're a really good martial artist or something...) . It would really help if you can humble yourself and just beg, beg, beg them to take your valuables and not your life. Don't look at the perpetrators in the face. Never give them the impression that you're going to turn them in to the cops if they release you alive. Instead, keep on saying comforting words that you understand they may be needing the money and you just want to come back to your dear family alive...stuff like that. Make them empathize with you while empathizing with them as well.

13. Pray to the Lord too keep you safe from harm...really works!

Love lots,


Thursday, October 15, 2009

How To Prevent Wound Scarring + IlogMaria

I've mentioned in a previous post that one parenting hand-me-downs that I don't follow is leaving wounds to dry up in the open. Being a hyper child myself, I've suffered from terrible leg scars and I definitely, DEFINITELY wouldn't want Ella to have the same problems.


One day, Denise, Drew's sister, asked permission from the nanny to take Ella outside the house. Just after a few steps, Denise decided to drink water and left Ella inside the stoller. It was the calm after a storm at the time, so the wind was blowing tremendously strong. Needless to say, the stroller stumbled and Ella's forehead was severely wounded.

I know Ella's still young and the scar would probably just fade away...but it's the forehead! I don't want to take my chances! I also have a noticeable scar on my forehead that I got when I was a year old and it's not flattering! So I researched how to prevent scarring and tailored everything I learned for my daughter. Here's what we did:

1.I realized, based on a lot of interesting reads, that the reason scars/keloids develop is because the first few layers of skin heal first and dry up before the last few layers do. Applying this principle, we now understand that to prevent scarring, we must make sure that our wounds get to heal from the inside out.

2.Following my first principle, I looked for hydrating/disinfecting agent available locally that would be gentle for my daughter's skin. Good thing I found just the thing I needed from IlogMaria... HONEY!!!

Accidental wounds, lacerations, sutured wounds. Apply honey immediately on fresh wound. If possible, apply honey before closure of sutures. This will sterilize the inside of the wound and accelerate healing. Honey will make the wound self irrigate, accelerate blood clotting and healing. Scar tissue will not form.

And it did! We can actually see water coming out of the wound. Much like the how the nanomytes expelled the cobra venom in the GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra movie!!!

3.Ella wouldn't be able to keep the gooey honey on her wound so I had to find a way to protect it. I used breathable gauze bandage and micropore tape. But then the next day I gave Ella a bath and removed the bandage, she cried because parts of the bandage absorbed the honey and dried up on her skin. Poor thing! wanted to bandage to have s sort of balm on the bandage that would prevent the honey from being absorbed by the gauze. Found it from IlogMaria again...

Propolis Ointment: For skin irritations and infections. Good for relief of persistent skin rashes, skin itches, insect bites, infected wounds & burns.Made from Propolis Gold & Beeswax in an Olive Oil base.

wound: week 1

wound: week 2

wound: week 3

4. We kept this routine everytime anyone gives Ella a bath for 2 weeks. We noticed that the if any bit of outer skin gets to dry out, they easily get washed off by bath water. And guess what? NO SCAR!!! And it's not like we waited long after the wound had been healed for Ella's young skin to regenarate new cells. There was really NO SCAR AFTER WE DECIDED TO STOP THE BANDAGE PROCESS ---AND THAT WAS 2 WEEKS!

Everything boils down to the main principle on number 1. I just decided to go natural with the honey and propolis. But you can use any product you're convinced about as long as you keep the wound clean, moisturized and protected. I remember my OB Gyne applying the same principles on my CS and it worked. We used antibacterial ointment and hydrogen peroxide though.

Hope this helps!

Love lots,

Recipe of the Day: Adobong Tagalog

I didn't really know there's such a thing as adobong tagalog until my hubby made an Ilonggo version! Anyway, here's how I cook my adobo:


Ingredients:

1/2 kg pork cut in cubes
1 whole garlic minced
1 1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 whole garlic minced
1 cup vinegar
2 laurel leaves
1/2 tsp ground pepper or
5 pcs pepper corns

1. Marinade pork cubes overnight in soy sauce, sugar and 1 whole garlic.
2. Get a 1/2 tsp of the 2nd minced garlic and saute the pork cubes on it.
3. Add the remaining soy sauce from the marinade, vinegar, laurel leaves and pepper.
4. Cover the sauce pan and let adobo boil, then simmer for 15 minutes in low fire.
5. Check back on adobo every 5 minutes. You'll know it's ready if the oil from the pork and sauce already separated.
6. Fry remaining garlic and add to adobo, let it cook for 5 more minutes.

You can also do this on chicken! Or better yet make chicken-pork adobo! Chicken would take lesser time to cook though. So make sure you cook pork first before adding chicken on a CPA!


Love lots,

Lovin' Leyende's A Place In The Sun SPF30 Sunblock

Since riding the organic bandwagon, I thought it would be lovely to replace all the products my family uses with an organic counterpart and I was really really blessed to find this.

...click on picture to view products description

The product has a watery consistency, pretty much like Celeteque's facial moisturizer. In fact, if you're used to applying moisturizer using your fingers, this product will run through your hands if you're not too quick.




Applied on the face, it gives a smooth and weightless matte finish. There's a likelihood of getting white overcast if you don't get to spread the product well. So be sure to just get a pea sized amount of sunblock and add up if necessary because it dries up quickly too.




I also noticed that my face doesn't get too greasy in the afternoon (except for oils in my t-zone as I have combination skin) if I applied this as make-up base. Gifted people can even wear it alone if they're not looking into covering a few dark spots or correcting uneven skin tone. If my wish would come true, that Leyende would come up with a tinted version of this, it would be heaven!


Product didn't give me breakouts. I even used it on my 23 month old daughter and it didn't cause even a single rash. If you check the ingredients, all of them are guilt-free indeed!


The scent may need a bit of getting used to. It smells like a non-flavored, no mint toothpaste...not that strong though.
It's water resistant to some extent.

Not recommended to block UV rays when you're out swimming, but lasts through sweat.


Overall, I give this product a 5 out of 5. I love how this product measures up to some commercial sunblocks out there. And for just P400 for 50ml, it's definitely a steal! Perfect for everyday use, with or without make up! You can get it through
Leyende's Online Store, or check their resellers!

Love lots,

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Project Vanity Loves Me Back

Can you believe it? I just met Liz of Project Vanity today! If you have been a follower of her blog, you must've read that I won her first giveaway. And instead of having her ship my prize, I just dropped by near where she works.

....aww, I look like a whale here!

It was like meeting celebrity! I was really tongue tied! I never thought Liz would actually look prettier and sexier in person! She even tagged Madz from Ukay Ukay Escapades along.

Well, looked what I've got:



Neat! Thanks again Liz!


Love lots,

Lumpiang Shanghai For Storing

I intentionally wrote "for storing" because we actually just store uncooked lumpiang shanghai in case I'm too tired to cook a meal for my family. There is a kind of lumpiang shanghai you'd serve guests at a party (...just like what my aunt makes with all the works!)...And then there's MY KIND that's "pwede na" to fill tired and hungry stomachs.





Ingredients:

1/2 kg ground pork
1 whole onion, chopped to small bits
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small carrot, chopped to small bits
2 celery stalks, chopped to small bits
1 egg
1 heaping tbsp of flour or cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar





1. Mix all the ingredients together.
2. Wrap a heaping tablespoon of the mixture on a medium sized lumpia wrapper and seal with egg white.
3. Place rolls in tupperware and leave in the freezer.
4. Cut rolls in half each time you need to fry them.
5. Best served with UFC sweet and sour sauce.

Love lots,




Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Payday Spend Trips!!! (SALES AND BAZAARS)

I really feel Christmas coming because of sooo many sales and bazaars, I can't even organize them in my mind! So while I try to keep my memory refreshed, let me share them with you!

1. Urban Style Bazaar

WHERE: Level 2, Tower 2, The Enterprise Center, Ayala Avenue corner Paseo de Roxas Avenue, Makati City

WHEN: October 14-16

TIME: 9:00am - 7:00pm

NOTED SELLERS:
-By Nature Handmade Soaps


2. Rockwell's Moonlit Bazaar

WHERE: Rockwell Tent

WHEN: October 16-18

TIME: 2:00pm - 12:00mn

NOTED SELLERS:
Beauty and Minerals
The Make Up Store
The Skin Hour
Timeless Elegance

3. BPI Big Outlet Sale Part 2

WHERE: The MEGATENT, Meralco Avenue, Ortigas, Pasig, Philippines

WHEN: October 16-18

TIME: 10:00am - 9:00pm

NOTED SELLERS:
-Suesh
*and lots of other noted brands, check out the link nfor more details

4. Robinson's Giant Mark Down Sale

WHERE: Robinson's Malls

WHEN: October 16-18

TIME: regular mall hours, 'til midnight on the 16th

5. Bazaar For A Greener Tomorrow

WHERE: Cuenca Community Center, Ayala Alabang

WHEN: October 17-18

TIME: 8:00am-8:00pm

NOTED SELLERS:
-Venus& Mars Botanicals

Goodluck figuring out where to go first! More so, goodluck to your wallet! On the lighter side, if you're planning an early Christmas shopping spree, this would be a very good opportunity to spend your hard earned money on stuff I'm sure you're folks would cherish!

Just let me know, my friends, if you want to come to any of these events with me so I can see about adding them on my schedule. I don't have a budget for any of these though...*sigh* But it would still be a good window shopping and bonding experience.

Love lots,

Sunday, October 11, 2009

An Early Birthday and Christmas Wish (Materialistic Edition)

I'm just soooo lemming for these and it would be nice to get them for Christmas, otherwise I'll figure out a way to have them...

1. By Nature Handmade Soaps' Balm of Butter

2. Elegant Minerals Ultimate Concealer Foundation in Dark Honey

3. Dollface Cosmetics' 88 pc shimmer palette

4. A Red Sony Cybershot T900 covered with Invisible Shield by ZAGG

5. 2 Tickets to Leah Salonga's Your Songs Concert

6. A Tube of Philosophy Eye Believe (...may be bought at Beauty Bar)

7. Charm Pro Travel Brush Set from Beauty and Minerals

***Since I don't have any of these yet, I'd like to thank the sellers and the official products' websites whose links appear on each entry for the photos! :)

Teehee...not too affordable eh?! Well, as they say, dreams are free!

Love lots,

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Taking Care Of Our Hair

My hair has been severely damaged before and just when I thought the only way to get it back to life is to shave my head bald...I found new ways (and new products!) to take better care of it.

Now, I'm really happy with the results and the comments I get from people because my hair is now soft, manageable, naturally straight and shiny! How did I do it? Here are a few tricks...

1. Shampoo your hair every other day. I've read this several times, but I am quite confused as to whether to keep my hair dry during my bath or wash it with water only. And then I just thought of using shampoo & conditioner one day and conditioner only on the next and it worked for me.

3. Use cold water to stimulate your scalp and produce more natural hair oils.

2. Use at least 2 kinds of shampoo and/or conditioner alternately to prevent product build up.

3. Use a wide toothed comb everytime you comb your hair while it's wet. Wet hair is more brittle and more prone to friction and breaking. Moreover, it's also not a good practice to rub towel on your hair to remove excess water. Just apply pressure to your hands while you gently pat the towel on your wet hair.

4. Always take the effort of drying your hair completely right after your bath. Wet wair gets to accumulate dirt and humidity. Also, our hair keeps the shape/condition of how it was while drying. So if you comb it straight, you will have straight hair the rest of the day.

5. Apply heat activated or heat protect serum if you need to blow dry or iron your hair. This is for those special days when you really need to style your hair.


...my "just-slept-in" hair

6. As much as you can, do not rush with your hair. I don't know if you will or have experienced the same thing I did. But when I dry my hair while I'm running late and hurrying, it doesn't become too beautiful. I guess my hair gives a real meaning to "relaxed hair"...in fact it's even better after I slept on it!

7. Use hot oil or hair mask at least every 2 weeks.

8. Wait at least 8 months between chemical treatments if you really have to get them done.

9. Brush your hair 100 times a day. This is classic. But we don't really have to count as much as 100. It's just that brushing the hair also stimulates the scalp.

10. Make it a habit to have your hair trimmed at least an inch every 2 months. This gets rid of the dry part that the conditioning system of your hair doesn't reach. It also aids in getting your hair to grow longer.

11. Drink plenty of water and have a balanced diet.

By the way, all the 11 tips above applies to my hair, so I'm really not sure if it will apply to everyone. I have medium-dense, black brown, naturally straight hair with thick shafts. I once had my hair curled and I took care of the curls by not combing my hair while it was drying and applying curl enhancing serum on it.

Hope this helps. :)

Love lots,

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Just Bought: Bare Escentuals Liner Sealer!

I'd just like to share that I was able to buy Bare Escentuals Eyeliner Sealer from a good store called Beauty Bytes at ebay.ph! The seller is sooo accommodating and easy to deal with! My transaction didn't solely take place on ebay since I'm a newbie and didn't really know my way through! But still, Ms. Sue took care of sending me the package as soon as I made payment! And my, does she sell beauty products at very reasonable prices!!! This one, I got for just P850! ...shipping included!



I've tried it only a few times since and I'm addicted! More about it soon!


Love lots,

Monday, October 5, 2009

Why Do I Love Project Vanity? Let Me Count The Ways...

Project Vanity is asking us why we love her...And who knows, you might win a Clinique gift pack!

Here's my answer:




She also wants to know what we want to see more of in Project Vanity. For me, since I suck at eye make up, I'd like to see more tutorials, whether in picture or in video form.

Thanks for the wonderful contest Liz. I'm also hoping to see more of this soon! Hehehe!

Love lots,

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Kuya Matthew, You Will Always Be Remembered...Birthday or Not!

I'm sure a lot of my friends and family members remember who Matthew Angelo is. Again, I'd like to thank you people for being in my support circle at the time it was happening. I cannot forget how amazing angels like you here on earth work and the tremendous love and understanding I received during that phase of my life.

Now, it is yet another October 5 without my son. But that's okay because I know he's in a happier place. Still I'd like to take this opportunity to repost n entry I had in my multiply site to celebrate Matthew Angelo's 'supposed-to-be' 4th birthday.


Before I had my family now, I had a very dark past that when I think about it, I'm soo glad I've
recovered from that stage in my life. In that very dark past came a son, my first born.
That time, I was not happy for a lot of reasons that I'd rather not discuss here. I don't want to
blame anyone or anything because I still believe that whatever happened in my life, it has alwaysbeen me who's responsible. But when I was almost about to throw my life away, I bore a baby boy. I decided to name him Matthew Angelo a few months before his birth date. I was hearing mass that time and the gospel came from Matthew, and "Matthew" had been the name for the pilot section of my High School, which happened to be the section I was in. Angelo meant angel.

Around 10:00 in the evening of October 4, 2005, I felt a little pain in my lower back. I have high
tolerance to pain so it was only the next day that I realized that it was already signs of labor. Ataround 3:00 in the afternoon of October 5, 2005, I gave birth to a premature baby boy (8 months) with gastroschisis!

Gastroschisis is a congenital abnormality wherein the intestines of an infant is coming out of a cavity inhis stomach. In the US, this is not a very serious case. But here in the Philippines, I don't know how many babies survived, if there were any.

An operation had to be done on Matthew 3 hours after coming out of me to push in as much intestine as the doctors can while he hadn't breathed that much air yet. My family decided to have the baby baptized just in case he doesn't make it. For some reason, Matthew went through the operation for about a couple of days! Every single day I prayed that the Lord spare my little one. He went from being unstable to stable and back again in a matter of minutes, so I was advised to ready myself whatever happens.

Days turned into a month...and for someone who doesn't have work and is not really that rich, that month is the longest month I have ever experienced. The hospital charges around 20,000
daily just for the equipment my baby uses...incubator, oxygen, NICU space, etc. And
just a couple of days after he was born, the hospital informed us that the medicines as well as
laboratory tests proposed for him will not be given unless we pay cash! And the hospital charges around 10,000 a day for these. I cannot let my baby down so I went from friend to friend to borrow money just to support him for one day, hoping I can do the same thing the following day. And just in case I decide to work, where in the world will I get 20,000 a day??? And who will take care of errands for my son? (The father just went to hell!). It was during these times when I would never waste a single centavo because it might add up to any amount I may need for my angel.

Those were also the times when I felt that God is really near, sending me angels when I needed them. Strangers would give us (me and my mother) free rides to the nearest stop to our home...I almost bled to death because of post partum stress when a taxi driver brought me to the nearest hospital, counter flowing traffic...Nurses at the private hospital would use a few stuff on Matthew and never placed them on the ledger...I knew it was God still helping me out even though the whole story was supposed to be my lesson.

But still, there are people who balance the kindness in the world with lack of care. We plead the hospital management to just give him everything he needs and add the amount to our bill, but they only allowed it for a couple of days until we can find a public hospital to move my baby into. I didn't know the pros and cons then, all I could think of was that my baby needed medicines and lab tests that time and I ran out of friends to borrow from. So, I agreed to move him to PGH.

At first, I thought, since it is PGH, the medicines will be a lot cheaper and they would give it to him no matter what. I also thought that they would use any equipment that would support him until such time that all of his intestines had been returned to his tummy...but I was wrong. Since PGH is still a public hospital, no matter how good the doctors are, they lack equipment and medicines. So even though they'd be glad to support my baby, they can't. We ended up renting some equipment from 3rd party and buying the medicines from the nearest and cheapest drug store. In less than 48 hours of being unstable after being moved from the private hospital to PGH, my Matthew did not make it anymore. He diedof Bradycardia. They said that his heart kept on stopping its beating because one of his veins is obstructed by fungi that formed on the needle of his IV. They told me that the IV they planted on his neck is normally replaced after 2 weeks..and he used it for 1 month and 5 days. THEY DID NOT TELL US THAT BEFORE!!! They even asked me, prior to his death, to buy anti-fungal that cost 10,000 to remove the fungi and it was worthless!!!


The amount we used for his service and cremation came from friends and family members. I paid the hospital balance through constantly lining up at PCSO and ask for money from them. I even lined up at WOWOWEE to take my chances in one of their games! (They didn't pick me though...) I worked at a call center for one whole year and almost all of my pay went to debts. It was just so kind of my real friends that they never rushed me on paying them.(Thanks guys! I owe you a lot!) I grew very thin working too much overtime with very little food and relax time. (Well, at least I got "sexy back" after having a baby...)

Then I met my husband and the rest is another blog! Haha! All I know is, that phase in my life was God's way of letting me know that He sees everything and does something about it. Why would He even bother coming up with a good trial if He doesn't care about your life right? And when my Matthew left me, He didn't take him. I read in a book once that God doesn't take life away, he receives them. God just gave me and Matthew a better option rather than staying in that quality of life. Now I have a new daughter and a complete family! I know Matthew is happy about his sister and his new dad. And whatever comes my way, I'm already in the right track!


***Now that everything's being uploaded on facebook and more people can read my posts, all I can say is this: For some, I just hope you have a really deep sense of understanding not to look down on me just because I messed up a few years back. I am a good child and person who is trying my utmost best to be a good mother to Ella and a wife to Drew. I hope everyone agrees with me that my whole being is not measured by the number of mistakes I've done in the past. Cheers and get to know me well please!

Happy birthday anak!

Love lots,

Friday, October 2, 2009

Preparing for Typhoon Pepeng...

I was on my way to work earlier when I heard the news about typhoon Pepeng from my cab's radio. And the Filipino, learning from it's experience with Ondoy, resulted to panic buying. I didn't take it too seriously until I came home from work today...

Drew, saying the same thing about the incoming storm, asked me to go to our local grocery when I get home. It's okay though because we haven't really refreshed our supplies since we got our salary. So I went. And I was dumbstruck! I was alone and when the news said people were panic buying, THEY ARE PANIC BUYING!!!

...from cartoonstock.com

Needless to say, I came out of that store alive, but definitely tired and sweating. I feel I did a great job because I secured my family's welfare in time for the next storm. I hope what I got is enough.

Aside from that, I remembered I kept mum about Ondoy. It's just that this is my first time away from my biological family and the first time I experienced a calamity this big. So I guess, it didn't sink in right away. Now, I want to take the opportunity to tell my loved ones: I love you guys sooo much! To my mom, my brothers and their loved ones, my relatives, my friends from work, school, here and elsewhere, take care! I hope to hear from you soon, especially after Pepeng! Let's keep it together and ask God for guidance and protection! Drew and Ella stays with me (I pray...) and we'll stay safe.

...isn't this a really comforting picture? (from this site)

To anyone who gets to read this, I hope you're safe and comfortable too!


Love lots,