Jay Adam

Finally I am able to scan Baby Jay Adam's ultrasound results and photos. Here they are:

It's a boy!


Jay Adam's close up shot

Colympics 2010 Concerns

We started inviting for the Colympics already starting with the media sponsors. So far so good in that area.

Yesterday, I started sending out the invites for the participants starting with AIG, Trancsom, ePLDT Ventus and GCS International. Imagine my surprise and irritation when I got a regrets email from Ventus.

Ventus! But they are our champion in Women's Volleyball! So why?!

I emailed their VP but no answer yet as to why. I'm starting to worry. Is this a bad omen?

Our Baby is...

We finally had that ultrasound.

IT'S A BOY!

So Jay Adam it is!

So excited! :)

Irritating Monday Morning

Early morning and my mood is shot.

My office computer is in dire need for an upgrade so my boss gave me permission to ask for a new memory. But last Friday, my computer conked out and it won't start. The computer technician said that my hard disk is having a hard time starting up so aside from the memory I now need a new hard disk. And so I gave our supply officer the specs of the two computer parts last Friday.

Just a few minutes ago, supply officer cam to me to pester me what kind of memory I would be needing. Memory card daw ba. Duh. Memory cards are for cameras not for computers. And since I gave him the specs already, I do not see why he is pestering me for this information. Also, he is insisting that memory and hard drive are just one and the same which is way not! I am having this feeling that he just doesn't want to buy me a these parts! Why I say so? I also have this outstanding request, which already has a purchase order signed by the Regional Director, to buy me a new computer chair since mine is busted. It has been 3 wks already and not chair has been purchased. My back is killing me which is being aggreviated by the fact that I am pregnant. I came to office today to find it totalled so I have no chair to use. Good thing my offiidn't go to the office today so I can use her chair. But what about tomorrow? Hay, pati ba naman sa loob meron paring red tape?!

Pepeng, Ondoy and Baby

Okay, here I am attempting to write a blogpost using my netbook. It's gonna be a taxing experience but I have to get the hang of it, right? Anyway, here it goes.

Pepeng is still in the house! Can you believe it? It is only now that I have teard of a typhoon going out of a country, making a U-turn then staying for almost a week now. It must be an unprecedented event. Another proof of global warming. He and Ondoy makes a good tandem. The places that Ondoy "forgave," Pepeng ravished. I dunno how we can get out of this one. I am anxious to start making changes but everybody is still busy surviving. My relatives in Pangasinan were badly hit by the floods yesterday. One evacuated already. As of press time we still don't have any news on their situation since their fones' batteries are already dead because there's no power in the area.

On another topic, I am now 23 weeks pregnant today! Been to the doctor and she gave me the go to have my ultrasound thgis Monday. Can't wait!

Ondoy's Wrath Tear Up a Family

This made me cry. It is so heartbreaking!

Last Family Portrait

Dad’s lament: ‘I wish I had died with them’
By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- Miguel Asuela's world ended on the night of September 26 when in a matter of hours, he lost everything and everyone he held dear to tropical storm “Ondoy:” His mother, wife and their five children.
How do you measure a man’s grief? In his case, it seems impossible. “I wish I had died with them,” he said in Filipino, his eyes a study in anguish.
As Asuela stood at the El Capitan Memorial Homes in Marikina City, the 33-year-old looked like a man defeated. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes sunken and his cheeks gaunt. Silently he beheld the enormity of his loss: Six white gold-trimmed caskets lined one after another.
At the center was the casket for his wife, 29-year-old Desiree Bonifacio. Tucked into her left arm was their youngest son Lucky, who had been born only two weeks earlier.

Water-filled bungalow

Asuela’s entire family perished in floodwaters that had filled his bungalow on Patola Street in Concepcion I, Barangay Tumana. They were found in a heap inside the house, apparently trapped as strong currents prevented them from opening the door and fleeing.
Desiree was clutching Lucky to her body with one arm and one-year-old M.J. with the other. Beside them lay Asuela’s mother Ma. Flor Bonzo, 55; and Asuela’s other children Ma. Flordeliza, 11; Trixie, 9; and Miguelito, 7.
“Every night I can’t stop thinking about them. I keep thinking I should have been with them. I wish I had died too,” he said, almost in a whisper.
The Asuelas were a family of vendors selling religious items like rosaries, religious icons and sampaguita garlands and doing other odd jobs around the Immaculate Conception Parish Church.
That Saturday, Asuela had been working as a barker for jeepneys plying the Montalban and San Mateo route.
“At first, it was just a light drizzle. I didn’t really mind the rain. I never thought the water would rise so much,” he recalled.
Soon, the flood was knee-level and then waist-deep. Asuela began to worry. He rushed to the neighborhood and found that the waters down the ridge were almost up to his neck.
Senior Police Officer 3 Nonie de Belen of the Marikina Police Community Precinct 6 remembered how Asuela had tried to dive into the rampaging waters.
“I stopped him. I told him he’d drown, that he might end up dead while his family turned out to be okay,” he said. But De Belen was wrong.
Asuela said that when the floods subsided, he searched for his family in local schools that had served as impromptu evacuation centers for the flood victims.
“I didn’t go to the house. I was still hoping they were safe,” he said. When he found them nowhere, he returned to his house, accompanied by De Belen.
What Asuela found was more than he could bear.

Heartbreaking sight

He just sat in one corner and started crying, De Belen recalled. The policeman said, “I also couldn’t help but cry. The sight was heartbreaking.”
Asuela said his last moment with his family was over breakfast of hot pandesal and coffee. He said their happiest moment as a family came on July 12, 2008, when M.J. celebrated his first birthday.
“We shared a simple meal. We were all happy,” he said.
Asuela’s mother-in-law, Remedios Bonifacio, 54, said Asuela’s family was not completely gone. He actually has a remaining child, 3-year-old Leonardo, whom Asuela’s in-laws adopted after Desiree had given birth.
“He does not understand yet, Bonifacio said, referring to Leonardo. “When we ask him what happened to his siblings, he’d answer, ‘Sleeping,’” she said.

Bibay the Environmentalist

A lot of projects have been going through my mind eversince Typhoon Ondoy has ravanged the Philippines. Drastic movements shall be made so as to save the planet and thus ourselves. I have always been an environmentalist at heart. Heck, there was even a time I wanted to be one. Unfortunately, we don't have that in the Philippines. So I decided to be something else but I still never abandoned my save the planet ways and now Mother Earth needs me more than ever. If only I am not pregnant I could start right away but since I am. concrete ways have to wait. But planning can start now! I have already came up with a few ideas:

1. Conduct tree planting activities every now and then.

I have a lot of friends who will go along with this one. Seedlings are FREE at DENR, everybody should know this fact to take advantage of it so a tree planting activity is cost free.

2. Create events that will give awareness

My friend Leah gave me a good one that is even related to my current Wedding Blog project. Why not plant a tree for every couple that is getting married! I am sure with the help of other suppliers a lot of couples will go along with this.

3. Lobby for platic-less society

A friend from PAWS suggested this and I think he is correct. Since the event is still fresh and elections are just around the corner, we should push Senate to come up with this law that will order establishments to use paperbags instead of plastic. SM is already doing this every Wednesday. We should compel ALL establishments to do the same.

4. Coordinate with DepED and Sate U's to educate the kids

Instead of spending their free time and NSTP doing "nothing," why not educate them on the global warming and its effects. But educating kids is not enough. They should practice what they learn to really inculcate the message. Practical exams will therefore be tree planting activitoes, clean up activities and other save the Earth activities. While we are at it, why not educate them also on animal rights? Now that's hitting two birds in one stone!

I'm sure I will come up with more just give me time. For the meantime, I will be maintaining a site to help promote the salvation of the environment. That will keep me busy while waiting. I will also continue fund raising WWF and having them talk at the our Colympics. We should all do what we can. This will only get worse people!

How was Typhoon Ondoy Able to Flood the Whole Luzon

It was the worst the Philippines has ever seen. For the first time in history, the whole Manila area was flooded together with other 14 or so provinces. And not just any flood, flood that will make Noah build his legendary ark. At first I thought my mom was exaggerating when she said she wouldn't be able to go home last weekend because the flood in the Cainta Junction was already 10 feet high. I have never heard such thing so I thought she just feels tired and doesn't want to go home anymore after her meeting that 1pm at Antipolo. I even told her that she has a service to bring her home so that wouldn't be a problem. When she replied in our ym chat that Edsa is also flooded, I replied with a pouty "Ok. Bahala ka." then turned on the TV and tuned in to DZMM at Channel 3. That's when I accepted the hard reality that what my mom was telling me is indeed the awful truth. For 10 hours, the news screamed of pleas of help from stranded victims in their rooftops asking to be rescued, of landslides and flash floods. No one was spared because places that were never affected by floods before were now submerged in water. Electric power was cut in the condo by 1:30PM and my mom kept texting that the water is rising and that she is running out of battery soon. Our condo is located near Ortigas Extension in the Pasig-Cainta area besides the Pasig River. The water rose so high in our unit that it covered the 1st floor destroying the units located there. My mom was also stranded for 2 days with no decent food. Other than that, she is fine.

Ondoy then proceeded to Central Luzon where in stayed in Pampanga to play for a couple of hours. When Ondoy arrived, water in our backyard (a farm) began rising as well as the water in front of our house. Thank god our house is elevated so we need not worry too much about the water in front. What worried us is the accumulating water at the back. When the water got so high years before, it needs an outlet of release thus destroying houses in the process. The first year that happened it destroyed the house extension of our neighbor bringing with it the neighbor's washing machine, car, Tv and other appliances. Two more houses were destroyed the same manner. The next year another neighbor got destroyed. The raging water brought with it parts of the house as well as the fence that seperates it from the other neighbor. Again, another two houses were destroyed the same manner. So this year, we are afraid it will happen to us. After all, weve been spared twice already. But lighting struck somewhere and the poor unfortunate house still has a waterfall in it. That won't stop until the water at the back is all drained.

So why all this destruction? Ondoy was not a super typhoon but it was able to bring Luzon down. I have a few theories:

1. Global Warming

We have been warned this would happen sooner or later and yet we sneer thinking it won't or at least it won't happen until a couple of hundred of years or so. But it is happening. Climate change is happening all over the world and it's all man's fault. The snow caps are melting thus more water to precipitate thus more water to bring down on us. It's a freaking cycle and it's just going to get worse! But man is still oblivious until a few thousands have suffered. We continue to quarry our mountains resulting in landslides like in Montalban, Tanay and Antipolo. We also continue cutting down trees that's why we don't have their roots to help support the mountain soil. I could go on and on but that would be a waste of energy. What we need to do is to remedy this. In our own way, save a tree if you can't plant one. Conserve energy and fuel. Why buy a Hummer if you know it disposes so much smoke that it can clog the air? Etc, etc. Little ways help a lot!

2. Our Garbage Disposal Sucks

When the water subsided in Metro Manila, what was left? Garbage! People throw their garbage everywhere. Garbage that clog the sewers. So when we need these sewers to suck the water, they can't. If we just help by disposing our garbage properly then the water won't get as high as it has been. Even the rivers overflowed because they are now so shallow because of garbage.

So basically what I am saying is this is all our fault. God has not forsaken us; we have forsaken the environment and now it's payback time. I hope that after this catastrophy we now think of ways to remedy the bigger problem. I don't want another Ondoy to happen.

My Projects

I have been busy with my wedding blog projects all long weekend long. I have registered the site to free directories and free traffic sites to up it's traffic. I have also registered it in sites that look for advertisers and so far so good. I've had advertisers but my highest bid is still just $0.30. I have to double my efforts to get at least $1 a day. I will also be writing to local suppliers to offer them my site for their advertising endeavors. I am planning on charging a measly P50/day for starters just to get the ball rolling. If I can get 3-5 suppliers then that can still amount to something, eh?

As for my pet project The Call Center Olympics, I am now busy computing the expenses. So far, one big company has signified to be a media sponsor. I am happy because that really up the chances of getting sponsors who pay money. Hey, the free products are great but I still need cash. =) Plus, it'll be election year next year and I am willing to stoop as low as to get a politician for a co-presentor. The baby will be coming soon and we need all the moolah we can gather. Soon I'll also be unable to do all these stuff so better do all the hadwork now than cram later. Besides, these projects are giving me the energy rush I love.

Another Sickness for Me

We finally went to the ENT doctor last Tuesday when I again secreted blood from my nose. This started when I blew in a tissue last week when I have the colds. Instead of mucus, blood-and lots of it, came out of my nose. I am not so worried since it may just be my mucosa since I have been blowing hard to get rid of the mucus as my pulmonary doctor said when I visited him after a few days for my monthly visit. But it became a worrysome thing when it happened again last Saturday and again last Monday this time with me not even blowing in a tissue. I was just lying in bed reading a book when I felt that I need to release something from my nose. When I did get hold of a tissue lots of blood again came out. The bleeding lasted till the next morning but the blood is not gushing out. It won't come out until I blow in a tissue. That made us worry since the blood might be coming from my lungs. So I finally consented to see a doctor - an ENT doctor as my mom pester me, after my husband gave me a cold shoulder after the incident for being so stubborn and not going to an ENT doctor right after the first incident. And so me, hubby and my dad went to an ENT doctor and was instructed to have a nose colonoscopy. A nose colonoscopy is when they insert this rod rod like instrument in your nose to see its insides. Its uncomfortable as hell and it costs a lot too, much to my annoyance. So the diagnosis is in: I'm abnormal; my veins in the nose are exposed which should be under the skin as a normal person's would. Their exposure made them weak and sensitive and that's what's causing the darn bleeding. I need not worry said the doctor. I just have to spray some steroid up my nose twice everyday together with my inhaler which I also take twice a day. It'll be a cause of worry if I started sprouting blood daily - a tablespoon is enough to cause alarm OR if i suddenly bleed buckets of blood. If that happens then it's an emergency since I might lose a lot of blood if I am giving birth and my nose is joining the raket. So there, another sickness for me. I just hope baby won't be so lucky and get them also like what happened to me - I inherited all of my parents health defects from my dad's seryngoma to my mom's scoliosis and asthma.