Ramblings and Brain farts

Love, Dolly Parton and an Award

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What is Love? What a grade school slum book question. Hehe.

Ganns tagged me with this meme (weeks ago) where one is supposed to define love without using cliches. You should read his definition(s). Sweet. The day I read his post, I remembered feeling so loved just the night before.

Alfred spends a few nights every week here. We’ve found that that’s the best way we could spend quality time with each other without being grouchy with each other. Anyway, as we tucked in to sleep (actually he already was asleep), I complained about having been bitten by a mosquito on my elbow. He reached over and scratched it for me. Aaaww. Haha. Oh yes, he was still sleeping. And I didn’t ask him.

So what’s love? Love is willingly going out of your way to do something for another. Um-hm. But it’s when you don’t feel that it’s an inconvenience, when it’s not being done out of obligation, when you do it with all of your being and there’s no conflict in or outside of you. Yup, that’s love.

Is that a cliche? Anyhow, I am tagging Kiss, Tracy and Dauphine. I hope you ladies play along!

Anyway, I signed up for the Live Search Club. Okay, it’s not a real club. There are tons of games there that are powered by Windows Live Search. You earn tickets while playing, and those tickets can be redeemed for real prices. I’ve got my sights on a Kitchen Aid mixer or a 30Gb Zune player. I don’t know if I’ll actually get either one though. Haha. While playing the games on there, I thought about how cool it would be if my nieces would just play those games instead of browsing through Friendster. It would be a much better use of their time. I learned a lot playing!

One of the games is Celebrity Reveal. There are five trivia questions that would serve as clue as to who is the featured celebrity. One of those was Dolly Parton. Through the questions, and the search results that came out in Live Search, I learned about her Imagination Library. It’s really a cool project for children’s literacy. They mail free books to kids every month, from birth up to their fifth birthday. What a great way to encourage reading and learning. It started in her hometown but it’s now all over the US, and also in Canada and the UK.

I hope there is something like that here in the Philippines. I wonder how I can start something similar? If I win the lottery, I swear, I will start something like it. Makes me want to sit with like-minded friends and brainstorm about a program we can actually make happen.

Reminded me of the pre-school classes we taught as part of a child rights and abuse prevention program we planned and implemented years back. The concept was about the importance of education in keeping kids away from abuse and exploitation. I miss my past life sometimes. 🙂

Okay, on to another tag. Dette awarded this to me, and Tracy did too months ago!

It’s the Arte Y Pico Award.
Art y Pico Award Rules:

  1. Pick 5 blogs that you feel deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging atmostphere (regardleess of what language).
  2. Each award should have the name of the author with a link to their blog.
  3. Award winners to post the award with the name and link to the blog of the person who gave them the award
  4. Please include a link to the “Arte y Pico” blog so that everyone will know where the award came from.

I hereby bestow this award to Vicki, Susan of Raspberry Road, Jen, Brandy of Mega-Doodle Inspired and KimB. All awesome digital scrapbooking artists 🙂

Team Number One

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Wow, the week just went by in a snap.

I had a really good week at work, seriously. Yesterday, I spent half the day filing my coaching forms on each agent folder. It was tedious because I had allowed a whole month’s worth of documentation to accumulate for all eleven of them. But it was light, easy work.

My team has been having a phenomenal performance in the last 3 weeks. I am very proud of them. To think that 60% of them are newbies to the account and yet we’re number one. That is truly a remarkable achievement. Even if things don’t work out as well for the fourth week (but I’m crossing my fingers that it still does) it would still have been a magnificent run.

This tears my heart really.

You see, I have a chance to go back and do what I’ve always loved doing. This whole year that I’ve been a team manager, I’ve found myself looking at training classes and wish I was the one teaching them. I’ve looked at trainers and have been silently critical of them. Often I catch myself thinking if I was ever like this or that as a trainer. Was I slow to react? Was I full of crap?

Don’t get me wrong, I have adjusted to my TM duties well and I love what I do. But I guess that training has always been my first love and you know what they say about that.

Nothing has been decided anyway. At the very last minute, I turned in my application for the training post that was opened, but I’m still giving myself a lot of room to think things through and weigh my choices. I am just greatful that I work with people and am in an environment that allows me these liberties to do what I really want to do.

On an entirely different matter…

Ka Bel was in the news again today (or was it yesterday’s paper?). He was refused welcome and blessing in Roman Catholic churches in his hometown in Legazpi, Albay. Their reason? He was in the Aglipayan Cathedral in Manila for a few days. They claimed that that was a sign that he was of a different religion and they have nothing to do with funerals for people of a different belief. One – Ka Bel is Catholic. In fact, he and his wife renewed their marriage vows for their 50th wedding anniversary at a Catholic Church. Two – Ka Bel’s funeral was held at the Aglipay church because that church is known to be supportive of the labor leader’s causes. Three – How medieval of that bishop in charge there. Ugh.

On TV right now is Charisse Pempengco’s new song and music video. It isn’t bad. I think it’s an original this time and not a cover of an older woman’s song. Good for her. I didn’t see the title though. I’m guessing it’s “It could only get better.”

On a more personal topic this time…

I calculated my expenses for the week and found out that I have spent WAY TOO MUCH than I should have. Seriously. Even without Zune’s doctor fees, it’s still way over budget. Talk about living beyond one’s means. Major ugh.

Oh, have you seen the latest Indiana Jones flick? I don’t think I’ll be seeing it in the cinema. What with all the cost cutting I need to do. I’d probably wait to see it on DVD. Bummer.

LEGO

Praise and Worship

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For my TT a post down I listed the things/thoughts I have wanted to post about but have not gotten to. Today, as I was bloghopping (late TT visits and going through my blogrolls), I chanced upon http://www.gannsdeen.com/ and read beyond his TT post.

At first I only thought of linking to his page for his David Cook Always be my baby stream because although I followed AI this season, I missed the Mariah episode. I am rooting for Cook. Archuleta is adorable but really, Cook has got it.

Then I read about the best decision he’s ever made.

Here’s item 5 on my TT: My thoughts on being a non-active Church member who does not attend Sunday mass (or any mass for that matter). I specifically want to dig through my thoughts and feelings about what I can do to be part of either the Youth movement or Sunday School. I know I have something to contribute, I’m just not making time.

See the connection? Okay, maybe you don’t because it’s all still in my head, and in my heart. This piece is probably just going to expose one part of it. I know there’s more.

It started with the music. He’s TT was about Christian songs that you should hear. One of which was his own composition. I listened to it and liked what I heard. Understand too that’s it’s early afternoon here and the toob is tuned to ASAP and they just had their GaryV 25th anniversary tribute/celebration. I have been singing along and my parents have had no choice but endure the sound of my voice. Hehe.

I went to an all-girl Catholic high school. Whether or not you were Catholic, you had to be around to attend the mass that would be celebrated every month or for every special occasion. I seriously didn’t mind because the services were much like our own Church services, they provided an opportunity NOT to be studying, and I liked singing along and learning their Church songs. That was really what I enjoyed most about having to attend mass with a multitude of girls – praise and worship through song. Mass without singing is just plain boring for me.

At Church, we sing hymns and people read the music from the Hymnal. I like those too. There’s also local, relatively recently composed songs that go into the Sunday Liturgy. I like listening to everyone’s voice mingling with each other. As a kid I wondered whether the older people actually attended classes to learn those hymns, everyone just blended perfectly.

In Sunday School, we would listen to and learn Kids Praise (another memory of my Aunt I wanted to write about last month but didn’t get to) – yes, Psalty was my friend and I am so going hunting for his CDs – the complete collection.

Really, isn’t singing praises like 5 times more wonderful? I mean compared to just sitting and listening and reciting stuff at Church?

Anyway, so that’s what got me to thinking (again) about what my beliefs are and how my faith manifests. I belong to a Church denomination that’s fairly small – The Episcopal Church in the Philippines, part of the Anglican Communion. My family history is intertwined with this Church’s history. Really, it’s more like an extended family. That’s what I like about our small Church, we are found scattered throughout the country from up north to down south, but it’s all just like one big family. Growing up in what I consider the heart of the Church just gave me an awareness of its life.

I distinctly remember the last summer I spent active at Church. It was the summer we moved house. I was with the SKEP, the Church youth group, and we sat with the Cathedral choir. Really, I went to rehearsals and sang at the Sunday Mass. We even had an Easter Cantata, I think the first and last that it was done. We had an awesome conductor. I truly enjoyed that time. It made me think that perhaps that was my place, my ministry – in music.

The 7th Regular Synod of The Episcopal Church in the Philippines

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In this pre-dominantly Roman Catholic country, belonging to a different church is to be part of a minority. I was born into an Episcopalian community – my grandparents served the Church and are known figures in its history (in the background, of course), and my parents also served the Church and the community. I grew up thinking that maybe someday, it will be my turn to serve too.

Last night was the opening night of the 7th Regular Provincial Synod of the ECP. This is an event where delegates from all the dioceses of the national church would come together and talk about issues confronted by the church and society. This is also where they talk about their vision for the Church and its people, and in turn chalk out plans to reach that vision.

This year, they will be electing a new head of the Church, a new Prime Bishop.

Just as mom asked me to help out with their website, she has also asked me to help out with a special newsletter for this momentous event. I went to work early yesterday so I could catch the opening of the Synod last night. I didn’t make it to the mass and the PB’s speech, but I did sit down for dinner and the wonderful Entertainment Night. There were performances from all Dioceses present.

It was a fun night, it reminded me of what makes our church special – the sense of family.

Metformin

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A few posts down, I mentioned having really bad headaches while I was on the pill. The pill is used as some sort of hormone replacement therapy for my PCOS. On my first check up after a month of taking the pill, I told my doctor about the 2-day headache I endured the weekend before and the pain in my breasts too. She did acknowledge that those were known side-effects of the pill and the proceeded to give me tips so I can avoid getting them. We agreed to go through another month with the same pill. If the headaches returned, we’ll change it.

Boy did they come back.

So I went to see the doc again the week before last. She wasn’t in and I had to see a substitute. That was not a good experience. Really. I went to the hospital early (as in 9AM-ish) so I wouldn’t have to wait in a long queue at the Medicard clinic. It took about 3 minutes to get the slip and I proceeded to Dr E’s clinic where I was told that she wasn’t in that day and was in a convention. If I wanted, I could see the substitute or I can wait until the following Monday to see Dr. E. The sub was to come in at 11am til 3pm. Since I was already 4 days into my period that day, I knew that I could not wait until Monday in case the doctor advises me to take the third cycle of pills. I would have to wait for the next month to start on the next cycle. I didn’t want to delay it any further so I decided to see the sub.

Instead of waiting at the clinic, I went to see my nephew attending a Vacation Bible School class in our church right next to the hospital. Promptly at 11, I was back at the clinic but the sub wasn’t there. It took several calls to her clinic, and a full hour, for her to come in. By then, there were three patients waiting and I was very sleepy. I had shift the night before and came straight from work. I was drowsing off at the waiting area!

She sauntered in. Listened to me a bit. Prescribed Metformin for three months. Said to come back for a TVS order after the medication. Wrote up a medical certificate for me (for work). All done in less than five minutes. I didn’t even get her name!

I was happy she took me off the pill (though Alfred ain’t too happy about it, hehe). But I felt that the whole consultation was rushed. Seriously. I don’t doubt that she’s a nice, competent doctor and all, but I waited hours to see her. KWIM?

I felt that way too when I first went to see Dr E – rushed. I thought, maybe it’s because I don’t pay her (the HMO does)? Or maybe it’s because she has too see more patients? But on my second visit, my perception of her changed. She did remember my case and seemed to have been paying attention after all.

Have you had similar experiences with doctors? My OB five years ago was very very nice, even the subs I had to see when she was out. I hadn’t had to see any other doctor on a regular basis aside from my pediatrician Dr. Lopez of St. Luke’s. He and his assistant are very nice people. All the doctors I’ve had to see at the ER are ok too. Eye doctors, Medicard clinic doctors, all ok. I guess I’m just not used to that.

Anyway, I had no intention to rant.

I didn’t purchase Metformin until last week. I am familiar with it because my second OB (the nice one from 5 years ago) prescribed that for me along with pills (which I didn’t have a negative reaction to). I only regularly took it in the prescribed dose yesterday. Bad me.

My mom saw the bag of Metformin yesterday and looked it up on the Internet. Reading what was here gave her a scare, I think. I assured her last night that I took Metformin for three months years ago with no side effects so I should be okay this time around too. I went through the info on the site though and it’s better to just be aware of those, just in case.

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