January 25th, 2012 / 1 Comment »
Very long post ahead.
I wrote this post about Papa in 2008.
On the morning of January 20th, the Lord welcomed to his side one of his favorite angels – Bonifacio Somebang, Sr. My grandfather would have turned 85 on his birthday next month (February 27).
He died of lung cancer, but the battle wasn’t long nor arduous. For that, I am still thankful.
About two to three weeks ago, he was rushed to the Emergency Room of the St. Luke’s Medical Center after complaining of difficulty in breathing. This wasn’t new. He has had persistent coughs, and looked forward to getting some oxygen help whenever he went to his regular checkups at the hospital. That day, he was supposed to see his doctor and present his Xray results. Due to a mixup with the schedules, they couldn’t get a session with the doctor. He insisted to be brought to the ER so my cousins brought him in.
He was confined that night. His lungs had built up with water, and possibly, his heart too.
The next day, we learned of the bad news. Based on symptoms and a testing on the water extracted from his lungs, he has stage 4 lung cancer. To be sure, a biopsy could be done. But my grandfather, Papa, does not like needles. Because he thought he would get better if the water from his lungs were drained, he agreed to that and to the tube and bag that became perpetually attached to his chest.
I was there when he strongly refused the biopsy. He wants no more treatment because, in his words, they couldn’t restore him back to how he was before. Maibabalik ba sa dati? My mom and her sister had to tell him his real situation that afternoon when I visited. The doctors were supposed to tell him, but they didn’t. We didn’t want to tell him, but the doctors were right, he deserved to know because he is still of right mind and very much lucid.
We had wanted to convince him to still get treatment, explained that a biopsy would just check and confirm the diagnosis and wouldn’t be painful. But he immediately said, very loudly at that – Let me go! I have served my purpose here.
His long-time friend and former colleague at the Seminary was visiting too that afternoon. He was talking him out of thinking that way, and trying to cheer him up. They reminisced of old times and I was in awe of Papa’s very sharp memory. He had asked after some other other friends who now live in the Taguig community of our church.
Because the hospital is a stone’s throw away from our homes, Papa always had company. Family friends also came to visit him. Cam whores that my nieces were, we got to taking photos too (these ones are dated January 7th):
More photos and stories after the jump.
Read more…
Posted in: Family
January 17th, 2012 / 1 Comment »
The blog Paris Daily Photo is a fairly recent addition to my Reader, and I’m pretty sure it will be there to stay. Eric Tenin posts a photo of Paris daily, and he’s been doing it since 2005.
I’ve had the wonderful privilege of visiting Paris 12 years ago. I know I took a camera with me, but I don’t know where the photos ended up in. It was a nice short visit, around May. We were there for a meeting actually, but we couldn’t NOT go see the tourist spots!
Unfortunately, I don’t remember much but some scenes from that time still flash in my head sometimes. We stayed in a nice little hotel – Hotel Rhetia I think it was called, and it might have been in Chemin Vert. That’s where I read Message in A Bottle by Nicholas Sparks. I found the book among the shelves at the dining area of the hotel. Loved it.
There’s a park very near the hotel too, and a book shop a short walk away. I spent some time alone on our last day there because I wasn’t feeling well, and I killed time by browsing at the book shop.
Of course we visited the Louvre, and the Eiffel Tower. I had free pass or discounted pass most of the time because I was only 17 then!
I would love to go back and visit Paris and see more of France. Someday. Somehow. For now, I visit through blogger Eric Tenin’s daily photos. 
Did you know that laptop is ordinateurs portables in French?
From My Reader | I am hoping to feature the blogs on my Reader and share them with you one at a time. I spend so much time enjoying the posts from these fabulous bloggers and would love you to get to know them too.
Posted in: From My Reader
January 5th, 2012 / 9 Comments »
Just a quick post – and this is hopefully going to be the first and last such post for 2012. I will explain 
We’re just 5 days into 2012 but I already feel like we’ve been here for so long. Seriously. And I feel so out of touch not having blogged since sending off 2011. But I have forced myself into a semi-hiatus because I have made one big blogger resolution:
I will put more thought and be more deliberate in my posts.
There were plenty of times when I feel like blogging in a rush, specially when I have paid opportunities about to expire. That completely takes out the joy in blogging. And I know it turns off readers. A wide readership isn’t something I can brag about these days, and with the closing of Adgitize, I’m in danger of losing even more readers. But gaining blog followers shouldn’t just rely on an ad network that encourages click-through, it should also be about engaging them through your content. That has been a challenge, specially when I don’t have time to leave comments on others’ blogs or forums, which is how a blogger used to network with like-minded individuals before the advent of Entrecard and Adgitize.
So hopefully, this ONE resolution as a blogger helps me get back to blogging basics, and start engaging my online community more. Maybe I’ll even revive my own monthly Comments Challenge, I didn’t do that at all in 2011.
Anyhoo, I hope that explains the lack of daily updates. I’m just gearing up for a better and brighter blogging experience
Did you make any blogging resolutions?
Posted in: Ramblings and Brain farts
December 30th, 2011 / No Comments »
This 7-pc Limited Edition Holiday Make-Up Brush Set is available at Deal Grocer.
If I actually put on make up, or even knew how to put on makeup, I’d grab this deal. But I don’t know much about make-up. Sure I know something about lipsticks and glosses, and maybe a thing or two about eyelash enhancer, but really not much else.
Suesh has a good reputation for quality tools, and the discount of 900 pesos is a really good deal. I intend to learn how to do make up some time in 2012, but I will sadly have to pass off on this one for now. I’ve told myself countless times not to buy anything I won’t use right away. Since I won’t be using these brushes anytime soon, the savings from the purchase might not really be savings for me at all. But it doesn’t mean you have to let this deal pass on, you can have it. Click through if you want this set!
So learning to do makeup is just one of the things I want to accomplish in 2012. I haven’t really thought about making a list of resolutions for the coming new year, but flipping through the BDJ 2012 planner got me thinking about my goals.
Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project posted 6 questions you should ask yourself when you’re making New Year’s resolutions. Check those out as you ponder your own list. I know I had to change mine so there’ll be more concrete action. Leave me a link if you’ve listed your 2012 Goal List, or Resolutions! Thanks! 
Posted in: Shopping
December 22nd, 2011 / 6 Comments »
Tonight is my last workday for the week, also the last one before Christmas. I’d be bringing the ‘generic’ gifts I got for some people. I really wished I was more creative and picked out something special for each person, but it won’t be so this year. Oh well.
Until now I keep thinking about getting something for all my reps too. I thought I had a brilliant idea last month and perhaps I should have got them then because now, I don’t think it’s so brilliant after all. Haha. Perhaps I’ll get them some food and give each a handwritten note on a card. Hmm, that’s something personal.
I had thought of getting custom lanyards for them but that didn’t come to fruit, either. I would have our LOB names printed on it, but I heard there’s a minimum order and since I handle two small LOBs and two teams of yet another one, what I need for each design won’t be enough for the minimum.
I’m using beaded lanyards now, an agent gave it to me. You can see part of it here:
Pardon my vanity shot – my eyebags look awful! I was only trying to take a photo of my new earrings that day. 
So there’s something attached to the beads that allowed me to also attach a badge reel at the end. I’ve been using the pair for months, but today I took it off because the reel isn’t working anymore. Bummer.
Oh, because my lanyard looks pretty, I don’t mind keeping it on even outside of the office. Just like wearing a necklace without worrying about it being stolen or snatched away.
I’m also still thinking of another gift for someone special. I’ve set my sights on something but I’m still having second thoughts because of the cost. With just one day left and then it’s the 24th, I don’t think I’ll be completing my gift list this year. I can always just send more donations for Sendong, and then name it for the person I would have bought a gift for but couldn’t. A donation in their name is a good gift for people who already have everything.
Posted in: Shopping
