In other news…
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Meet DaffodilDayGirl. She’s a Kacheek. She loves to play in the meadow, is very friendly and hates violence. She’s also a genius. 
She’s my Neopet! She’s my new addiction. It’s a great stress-reliever… till you get really addicted that is. If you do sign up, let’s be Neofriends! I’m countrysolace. See you in Neopia!
I couldn’t get into Blogger over the past 2 weeks! My fingers were itching to blog but the computer just wouldn’t cooperate with me… but anyway!
Some nice kwento (stories):
- Last Thursday, I cleaned the bathroom for the first time in my whole life! I felt so proud. Heehee. (Background: I was never raised to perform household chores. So this is a mighty achievement for me!) Now I clean the bathroom every other day.
- I’m excited! Mama and I are watching the Bocelli concert on Friday. Ooooh. I hope it’s good. I bought the tickets as a special gift for her. I hope she enjoys!
- Here’s a nice “meal” I discovered: H and I LOVE Zaragoza’s Spanish Sardines in Olive Oil. Totally healthy and yummy! H likes his with rice. As for me, I grab two slices of wheat bread and use the sardines as palaman (filling). Mmm mmm good. It’s always on my shopping list. 
Some not-so-nice kwento:
- Our water heater tank BURST last week. Ugh. Our kitchen and part of the dining area was flooded, man! I had to stay up till midnight wiping the mess up. It’s fixed now, but we still need to find a replacement. We’ve had no hot water for the past week. =( The good thing is it’s still a very hot summer here, so the cold water is welcoming. We’re back to heating water in the kettle and pouring it into the bath water. Finding a replacement is not an easy task, but we target to have one installed by the end of summer.
- Termites might be eating into my closet! I say “might be eating” because it still has to be fully checked out. For now, I dig my office clothes straight out of a suitcase.
- My grandfather (how ironic… my previous entry was about him and my grandma) got hospitalized this week. An aneurysm was found in his abdomen. Plus a lump the size of a fist in his left lung. Not exactly good news. More tests are being conducted. I’m asking for prayers for his speedy recovery. I’ve exhausted myself of tears already. That’s a good thing, considering I’m helping out in the hospital by running errands like photocopying stuff, buying people’s lunches, those things. I’d be too tired to cry. We’re all trying to be strong for Wowo. Please do pray he gets better.
And now… gotta catch up on reading your blogs!!!
I called up Wowo and Maymee this afternoon to update them on some little things (paperwork and stuff). The supposed 5-minute talk turned out to be much longer, and I missed them a lot.
Maymee and I talked about the Thanksgiving Mass I wanted to offer (she sells Mass cards). I wanted to give thanks to Him for our new home. She sounded very interested in our new condo unit. She says she and Wowo want to visit us soon. I told her we’d have to clean up the condo first. Heehee. I feel the pressure! She used to be a Home Economics teacher, you see. She’s very particular about order at home!
Wowo and I laughed as he told the story of him trying to call me on my cell phone over and over, only to have the operator say “This line is no longer connected.” Turns out he was calling my cell phone number of 4 years ago. He said his cell phone was suffering from Alzheimer’s. Heehee.
Wowo and Maymee are my maternal grandparents. They’re 82 and 81 years old, respectively. I don’t see them that often anymore. When I lived with my folks in Quezon City, their home was just a 5-minute drive away. I rarely see them now. I don’t even talk to them on the phone that much. Though I was with them last Good Friday, it feels like it has been many months since we were together.
As we were saying our goodbyes, I told my grandmother that I loved her. She said she loved me too. Now my grandfather is kinda military-ish so I’m not as demonstrative to him. Hence, I told Maymee, “Please tell Wowo that I love him.” She goes, “Papa! Toni says she loves you very much.” Then she puts Wowo on the line (who apparently didn’t hear her) and he goes, “Toni?” I go, “Wowo! I love you!” He laughs (I can picture his toothy smile and chinky eyes in my head) and says, “Thank you!” Then we say bye-bye.
I was kinda teary-eyed after that phone call. I’ve always been very vocal about my feelings with my own parents, but not too much with my grandparents. I’d hug them and kiss them but not say those words that often. I know it’s because I’m nahihiya (kinda embarrassed) to do that. And now I wonder, why should I be ashamed? I won’t let my Wowo’s military posture to get to me. I know he’s a mushy old bear within. And Maymee is just sunshine and roses to me.
Grandparents are truly wonderful. They give you a different kind of comfort and love. It’s as fuzzy as a blankie and as soothing as a cup of hot cocoa. Do constantly pray for their strength and their health. And do tell them you love them every chance you get.
“You’re a gift from God. You owe it to yourself to constantly improve yourself.”
Wise words from a friend. It was mentioned so casually during a breakfast conversation but it hit me really hard.
I have decided to:
a) Stop cursing. Being in the advertising industry has influenced me to curse every now and then (haha!), so I will avoid all temptation and all impulses to say the F and the S word.
b) Get my poems together. The idea of a book has always been in my head. I have the title in my head, a bit of the layout, but that’s it… it’s all in my head. I already know the steps on how to publish a book, hopefully I see it through.
c) Read more. The more you read, the wider your vocabulary gets. More wisdom from the same friend. I’ve bought a lot of books and magazines over the past months, but never had enough time to read them all. I will try to read more and watch TV less.
I know I have to do a lot more, but hey, I’m taking baby steps. These are my April resolutions. I know! I’ll have a monthly resolution thing. Yeah, that’ll be a good reminder.
I hope you don’t ever have a reason to do this, but in case you do, here’s a pretty helpful first aid tip in temporarily treating a bloody cut: Use a sanitary napkin — wrap it around (or cover) that bloody wound.
I wish I had remembered that tip. I read it once in a print ad for the Army. It’s been in my head for the longest time, labeled “Stock Knowledge.” H ran to me with a bloody finger yesterday — he had cut his left index finger deeply with a big cutter. It was a gross sight, blood was dripping all over his hand. I’ll spare you the rest of the gory details. All I could do was grab as many tissue sheets as possible to wrap around his wounded finger. We rushed to the ER. Four little stitches equalled ounces of pain. I was holding on to his right hand the whole time, asking him to squeeze my hand every time the treatment would hurt. I was leaning over him the whole time, whispering words of assurance in his ear, even singing to him a little lullabye to calm him down (much to his embarassment haha!).
He’s been treated, we’re continuing to treat his cut, we’ve got all the medication and supplies (gauze, tape, etc) needed, but my legs still turn to jelly everytime we talk about the accident. We’re thankful that it wasn’t any worse. We’re thankful that it didn’t happen to his right hand (he’s a rightie). We’re thankful that we weren’t hysterical yesterday. He told me I didn’t appear panicky. The truth was, everything was a blur but I did manage to stay calm. I just kept praying for strength (his and mine — I’m scared of blood!) and comfort. In the meantime, we’re steering clear of sharp objects.
So… have a sanitary napkin on hand all the time if possible, and be careful when using sharp objects.
And oh… Happy Easter!
To take candle wax off your shoes or jeans, do this simple procedure:
a) Put a cube of ice over the wax stains to make them a bit harder, a bit more solid.
b) Place a paper napkin over the wax stain.
c) Iron over the paper towel — the stain’ll stick to the paper towel.
– Advice from my Mom after she saw the million candle wax drops stuck to my jeans and rubber shoes after yesterday’s procession.
It’s amazing how high-heeled shoes can make you feel more beautiful, more confident, more womanly.
We should all wear high heels more often.
