You'll Be Missed Beyond Words

My father-in-law passed away last week. He fought with Alzheimer's disease for 15 years. Sadly, the disease robbed him of his memory. It had been tough on the family seeing him deteriorate through the years. It was sad to see him go but I know that he's in a better place now.  My husband and I dreamt about him. He was smiling in both our dreams. It must be his own way of letting us know that he's happy and at peace.

Photo Hunt :: Memorial

Come and join PhotoHunt

It's not easy saying goodbye to a family member. Adults easily feel the pain of losing a loved one but most young children are lucky because their innocence help shield them from such a sad reality.

This photo was taken on the day of my sister-in-law's interment last January. My little niece was curious about the memorial plaques on the ground. She's too young to grasp the concept of death. Perhaps, it's better that way. 

Haloscan is Shutting Down!

I received a disturbing email stating that Haloscan commenting service is shutting down on February 11, 2010. I clicked on the link and found out that it's not a hoax. Sad to say, the message is real. Haloscan is discontinuing its commenting platform because "Haloscan hardware and software is physically failing and we have no choice but to discontinue the service."

I've been a Haloscan premium member for years now and I'm very upset about this sudden announcement. I think it's unfair that Haloscan is abandoning its users like this. Members like me have been given a two-week notice to make a decision.  Yes, they are offering an upgrade ... for a price!  It's either switch to Echo, the new commenting platform (with a 30-day free trial / continue for $12/year) or export comments for free (XML format).  I'm not willing to pay an annual fee for a commenting service. The downside of exporting the Haloscan comments is the lack of importing procedure to any of the popular platforms.  Haloscan should have at least offered its members a way to transfer comments.  I feel as if Haloscan has simply abandoned me in the air.

I decided to revert to the default Blogger commenting platform. With a heavy heart, I face the fact that I have lost all my previous comments.

I feel stripped of something valuable.  I have lost a great deal and I'm very sad. :(



How To Remove Haloscan and Revert to Blogger Commenting Platform:

1. Go to Blogger Dashboard. 
2. Go to Layout. 
3. Click Edit HTML (make sure you Download Full Template for backup before continuing).
   
4. Click Revert widget templates to default (you'll see this below the page).
5. Haloscan link will disappear and replace by Blogger commenting service.
   

     ** you will lose all Haloscan comments in the process **


edited: 01/29/2010, 8:53 a.m.:  My blog comments are precious to me. I decided to salvage my old comments by manually transferring them from Haloscan to Blogger. I know it sounds crazy but I'm desperate. I might as well save what I can. If by chance, you discover an easier way of doing it, please let me know.

Thank you For Your Prayers

On behalf of our family, I would like thank everyone for your kind words of sympathy and prayers. Tomorrow is the last day of the wake. My sister-in-law will be laid to her final rest on Sunday at Manila Memorial Park.

Goodbye Ves

 To Ves,

my sister-in-law

You taught people around you what courage meant as you fought with your illness. You are now in a better place where pain cannot reach you. May the Lord's embrace bring you peace and comfort.

Please Help Typhoon Ondoy Victims

Last Saturday, September 26, 2009, the Philippines was struck by Typhoon Ondoy. I went out that morning with my husband to go to our son's school to attend a talk and get our son's report card. My husband hesitated to go out because of the non-stop rain but I insisted that we push through upon confirming from the school that the talk was still set that day. Heavy downpour made it difficult for my husband to drive. We were already on the very street where my son's school is located when we were forced to stop because of unexpected flooding in the area. Cars ahead of us were turning back. Upon closer inspection, hubby realized that the water was too high; we had no choice but to go back. I was silently blaming myself for going out in the first place but hubby didn't blame me. We decided to go to the nearby mall to have lunch and buy some groceries. Hubby dropped me off near the entrance. He was drenched when he got inside the mall. The umbrella wasn't much help in deterring the rain because of the strong wind and rain.

After eating a quick lunch and buying groceries, we decided to go home. I assumed we would be home within 30 minutes or so. We weren't prepared for what came next. Traffic was horrendous! Vehicles along Star Tollway came to a halt. We were forced to find alternative routes going home. Flooded areas hindered us from going home. It was scary because there were some places in town with raging flood waters. Some vehicles that rushed in the flood got stuck as engines stalled. My husband was more careful and decided to wait for flood waters to subside a little before heading on. What I thought was a 30-minute drive home stretched to a 3-hour journey.

When we finally reached home, I was thankful that there was no flood in our village. I was so anxious to go inside the house to see my son that I dropped my umbrella. A sharp part of the umbrella's interior sliced my left ring finger. It was a little deep but fortunately didn't require stitching.

As I applied first aid, my 6-year old son gave me a tight hug. He said that he watched the people in the flood on TV and was worried we were trapped like them. It was only at that moment that I realized how serious things were in Manila and other nearby towns. I was shocked when I saw people on the roofs and tremendously deep flood waters engulfing homes and vehicles. I realized that we were blessed because my family was safe and dry. We had a little difficulty going home but that didn't compare to the sufferings experienced by other people. I was moved to tears as I saw families with small children drenched and helpless on top of their roofs. I watched in horror as a group of people were helplessly swept by the strong currents. I couldn't believe how devastated many areas were. Some people even lost their lives during typhoon Ondoy's fury.

I found out that the 5 to 6-hour downpour was equivalent to one month of rain. Experts say that it is a result of a global climate change. It's a scary fact that stares us right on the face. It is only one of nature's many warnings to us.

The typhoon left a trail of destruction, pain and suffering to many of my countrymen. The typhoon left many homeless. A lot of families are now temporarily housed in evacuation centers like schools and gymnasiums. Help have poured in from the government, local and international private sectors but more people are in dire need of help. Please open your hearts and help in whatever way you can.


Source: www.youtube.com

Donation Links:

• How to Donate to Manila From Abroad
• Google : Help for Typhoon Ondoy Victims in the Philippines
• How To Help Victims of Tropical Storm Ondoy
• Where to Send Donations For Typhoon Ondoy Victims
• How To Donate Via SMART
• How To Donate To Red Cross Via Globe: Text RED (space) 5/25/50/100/300 to 2899. Ex. Txt RED 1o0 to 2899. Transaction is free if charge.

Farewell Lola

edited on September 16, 2009: Thank you dear friends for your words of sympathy. I appreciate it very much.


My paternal grandmother passed away last August 25, 2009 at the age of 91. My aunt called minutes after her death to tell me about the sad news. My husband and I immediately went to Manila to see my Lola.

On the road, a black winged butterfly fluttered by my window side. Just imagine the chances of a black butterfly flying by my window at the highway. I knew deep inside that it was my Lola's gentle way of letting me feel her presence.

In some cultures, including the Philippines, there is a belief that the departed loved ones express their presence through a butterfly visit.

To my Lola, may you have eternal peace and happiness. Goodbye Lola. You will always be remembered in our hearts.

Pres. Cory, You Will Always Be Remembered

CORAZON C. AQUINO
photo source

January 25, 1933 - August 1, 2009

"I would rather die a meaningful death than to live a meaningless life."

~Corazon Aquino~

On behalf of my family, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Aquino family. We will always be thankful for the light and hope that Pres. Corazon Aquino has given the nation.

You can leave prayers and condolences at http://coryaquino.ph/

Annoucement: Malacañang has declared Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009 as a special non-working holiday in commemoration of the late former President Corazon Aquino.

Aloha Friday #75

Rules: Post any question on your blog on a Friday, share your answer and sign Kailani's Mr. Linky. Then have fun answering the questions of fellow participants by visiting their blogs.

Is there something you're sorry about?

I would like to take this opportunity to say sorry to my blog friends who have recently tagged me with meme and awards. I'm sorry if I failed to do recent tags because I've been a little preoccupied. I'm afraid I lost track of some tags already and hope you won't take it against me. I hope I can make it up to you next time.

HaloScan Problem

Some of my blog friends told me that they couldn't leave comments on my site today. My comment box is having a problem. I tried visiting other friends who are also using HaloScan and it seems my problem is not an isolated one. Apparently, there is a problem with HaloScan right now. :( I hope things will resume to normal soon.

For the mean time, kindly leave your comments on my chat box (located at the left side of my blog). Thank you.

edited: 5:05 p.m.:
I received this in my email:

Hi Rachel,

I just wanted to personally apologize for the Haloscan outage. We're working hard to restore full services.

You can learn about the issue here: http://blog.js-kit.com/2009/02/27/haloscan-outage/

Cheers,

Chris

Chris Saad
VP Product and Community Strategy

Lovebird In Mourning

Lovebird in quiet mourn.

My son loves animals. I remember his nursery teacher telling me how enthusiastic Yohan was on Show and Tell Day (Bring a Pet). He loves all our pets and he even prays for them at night. We have a Labrador named Bruno, a flower horn fish, a small tank of guppies, two lovebirds and two African lovebirds.

Two days ago one of our love birds died. I noticed how quiet the birds were that day. I usually hear the distinctive chirping of the African lovebirds but that day, they were strangely quiet. When I checked I noticed that one of the lovebirds was standing on the lifeless body of its partner. I realized that the birds must have been quietly mourning for their dead friend. When I told Yohan, he felt deeply sad. I didn't let me see the dead lovebird anymore. I told him that soon we need to buy a new lovebird so that the sad one will have a new partner.

Yohanism #28

I was watching the movie E.T. with Yohan last night. There was a part where the boy named Elliot was about to dissect a frog in class. Each student had a glass bottle with a frog inside. The teacher went around putting a cotton with ammonia in each bottle. The teacher instructed the students to close the lid of the bottle so that the frogs can go to sleep. The teacher was reassuring the students that the frogs won't feel a thing. That was when Yohan asked me what will happen to the frogs. I told him what dissecting a frog means. I made a huge mistake of telling him that when I was a student I experienced dissecting a frog. Yohan got terribly upset. This was the conversation that followed ...

Yohan: "Why did you hurt the frog?! It's part of mother nature! It's a living thing!"

Me: "It was part of my class. My teacher asked me to do it."

Yohan: "Is your teacher a boy or a girl?"

Me: I was puzzled but replied, "a girl."

Yohan: "Bad teacher! I will tell her to stop hurting frogs! She should not have that kind of project ever again!"

Tears began running down Yohan's cheeks. I realized he was too young to understand the concept of dissecting frogs. I tried to lie ...

Me: "I was just joking, we didn't use a real frog. Just a toy one."

Yohan didn't accept my explanation. He was sitting down on my lap facing me. He held my face with his hands and looked directly at my eyes ...

Yohan: "Tell me the truth. Did you use a real frog or a toy one? Tell me the truth."

I was in a hot seat. For the life of me, I couldn't continue the lie I started.

Me: "I'm sorry. OK, we used a real frog. Are you mad at mommy?"

Yohan: "I'm mad at your teacher! She shouldn't hurt frogs."

I did my best to fix the situation. I wanted him to stop crying. He was missing some parts of the movie already.

Me: "Don't cry anymore. You know, the frog didn't feel any pain. After that, I sewed the frog's chest and let him go free." (I lied.)

Yohan: "Really? All the frogs didn't die?"

Me: "Yes. The class freed all the frogs in the school pond."

Upon hearing that Yohan started feeling better. I will be more careful about what I tell my son next time.

Dog Emergency

Bruno, my family's lovable black Labrador.

Yesterday after lunch, I went out to play with my dog Bruno. I haven't been paying attention to Bruno these past few days and I thought the weekend would be a perfect time to make it up to him. I noticed that his dog food was left untouched. I went back inside to get a fresh egg to mix with his dog food. It's an occasional treat that Bruno really enjoys. To my surprise, he didn't even go near his bowl. I put the bowl near him but he didn't seem interested. I went back to get a spoon hoping to entice Bruno's appetite but to no avail. I opened his mouth to put a spoonful of dog food when I saw a white thing on his pallet. I was so shocked to see a bone trapped horizontally on his pallet. I immediately called our helper who's in charge of feeding the dog. She admitted that she fed Bruno with some bones from the previous night's T-Bone steak. I felt the blood rising to my face. I felt so angry but good thing I was able to suppress the urge to shout at her. I didn't shout but my voice was a little high when I told her NEVER to feed Bruno with bones again. We don't feed table scraps to our dog so I was so surprised when I found a bone trapped on my dog's pallet.

I panicked because my hubby was out on a badminton tournament. I had to call JV (my BIL) to help me bring Bruno to the veterinarian. My BIL didn't hesitate to help me so I immediately called to check if the vet was in. I was thankful that the vet was there. He and his wife (also a vet) were about to leave the clinic but they agreed to wait for us.

My son, Yohan had no idea about what happened to our dog but he knew something was wrong. When he asked me about it, I just said I had to bring Bruno to the vet for a check-up. My BIL and the driver came after several minutes and we loaded Bruno at the back of the truck. I brought Bruno's toy ball and stayed with him at the back to calm him down (he doesn't like going on rides).

After 10 minutes, we arrived at the clinic. The vet checked Bruno's mouth to determine the situation. He said he will not sedate him anymore. The vet got his forceps and dislodged the bone in less than 5 minutes. It was indeed a steak bone. I felt so relieved. There was some blood and the vet had to inject Bruno with an anti-inflammatory shot.

On our way back, I felt as if a heavy weight was lifted from my chest. When we got home, Bruno was very thirsty. He didn't immediately touch his food but after a few minutes he began eating again. He finished everything in his bowl and I knew he was back to his normal self. My helper was very apologetic and I told her that she doesn't have to worry anymore. I'm sure she learned her lesson. I'm just thankful that nothing bad happened to Bruno.

Disappointing Teacher Behavior

I'm saddened by what happened in school today. Yohan told me that his teacher (assistant teacher) smacked his arm during class. He cried when he was telling me about it and he even reenacted the incident. I asked him what happened for his teacher to react that way. He admitted that his teacher told him that it was time to do the seat work but he wanted to play longer with one of his classmates. Yohan kept asking me why his teacher hurt him. I hugged him tight and told him that I was going to talk to his teacher about it right away.

I saw the assistant teacher an hour after that. I confronted her in a very mild manner. I simply told her that Yohan cried because of what happened in class. I told her the incident from Yohan's point of view and I asked if it was true. She looked at me blankly and didn't utter a word. After what appeared to be shock, she apologized. She said she may have "patted" Yohan strongly than intended to call his attention. Before I could even discuss the incident further, she burst into tears. It was my turn to be shocked. I wasn't angry and I approached her very casually so I was really surprised when she started crying. I didn't want to cause a scene so I patted her shoulder lightly and said I hope it doesn't happen again. She hugged Yohan and apologized for what happened. Yohan hugged her back.

Our talk was very brief and I wasn't able to express my point so I decided to give the assistant teacher a letter (cc directed to Yohan's adviser). I expressed how disappointed I am. I wrote that as a teacher I really hope that she can exercise more patience and understanding next time.

Yohan is just in Kindergarten and I think it's only natural for kids his age to sometimes prefer playing more than doing seat work. I understand that there is a time for play and a time for school work but I don't think there's a need for smacking/spanking.

I will let go of it for now but if it ever happens again, I will not hesitate to bring the matter to the school office.

A WordPress Problem

I was tweaking on my WordPress account when disaster struck. I did something really wrong because I cannot access it anymore. I cannot even go back to the log-on page. I'm sorry to those who visited my other blog and got an error message. My friend Tina will try to help me recover it. I hope she can help me revive my account somehow. For the mean time, I will share my Thursday Thirteen on this blog.

Tagged :: If You Could Spend One More Day ...

I was tagged by Hailey to do this meme.

"How would you spend one more day, with someone you loved and lost?"

A few years ago, my dad's younger brother died of cancer. He was a wonderful uncle. I fondly called him by his nickname, Tito Bebot.

My Tito Bebot lived in London for more than 20 years. He always stayed with us in Manila whenever he came to the Philippines for a vacation. If I were to describe him in a sentence I would say ... He was a sweet person with a fabulous sense of style. He was fun to have around.

I was sad when I found out that he had cancer. One day, I got a surprise call from him. He was at the province for a vacation. He said he was going to call me when he goes to Manila. He called me a day before his flight back to London. He apologized for such a quick visit. I wasn't able to see him because our car was at the mechanic that time. We just talked on the phone for a while. I never thought it was going to be the last time I will every hear his voice.

After a few months on that same year, I received news that my Uncle Bebot has passed away because of cancer. I felt so sad and I regretted not seeing him on his last visit to the country. The unavailability of the car was not an excuse. If I could bring back time, I would have taken the bus to see him. I would have brought my family with me especially my son, Yohan so that we could spend quality time together with Tito Bebot. I would have brought him some Buko Pie because there was a time he requested me to bring him some from Batangas.

I miss him and I hope that he is happy and at peace.

A Mother's Frantic Heart

My heart was frantic when my son told me early this morning that his tummy was aching. It wasn't the usual stomach ache because the pain was persistent. He lied down on bed and told me how much his tummy hurt. I touched his hands and they were clammy. I knew something was wrong.

My husband was out in a badminton tournament but I couldn't wait for him. I hurriedly changed Yohan's clothes and mine and went to the nearby hospital with yaya. His pediatrician wasn't at the clinic today so I brought Yohan to the ER. The resident doctor requested for CBC and Urinalysis. I already had results of Yohan's Urinalysis because I had his urine examined yesterday upon the doctor's request (he had a check-up a day ago). You see, Yohan has been experiencing on and off fever for several days now.

I informed my MIL before leaving the house that I was bringing Yohan to the hospital. I was grateful that my MIL and Uncle followed us at the hospital.

Yohan cried when the nurse got a sample of his blood. We stayed outside the ER while I calmed him down. Deep inside I was really scared of the possibility of Dengue Fever. I know that persistent fever and stomach aches are its common symptoms.

Dengue fever is a disease caused by a family of viruses that are transmitted by mosquitoes. It is an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign rash. source

Even the hospital had large posters warning the public about the new symptoms brought by Dengue. Before a rash was an indication of Dengue but it seems it there has been a viral strain mutation and now, persistent fever and accompanied stomach aches are among the symptoms.

When the pediatrician on duty told me that the results were already there, I was scared of what I was about to hear. I was happy when they told me that Yohan's platelet count was normal. His Urinalysis however, indicated that his fever might be associated with bacterial infection and she gave us an antibiotic prescription. I asked if Yohan was already safe from the possibility of dengue but the doctor said that Yohan has to be monitored. He is scheduled for another CBC tomorrow and check-up with his pediatrician.

My heart feels heavy now but I pray that everything will turn out well. I trust God to protect my little one.

Capt. Yohan Cheers Me On Another Internet-Less Day

Another Internet-Less Day ... the technical support guy did not make it today. My hubby wanted to go out and watch a movie but I said I had to wait for the tech guy to come because he will fix my Internet problem. That's why I'm frustrated and irritated that he didn't show his face today. He didn't even had the courtesy to call me that he wasn't going to make it despite my follow-up calls at his office.

I pay my bills on time and what do I get in exchange? It's pathetic when you receive poor customer service.

I'm here at the house of my hubby's cousin. They are outside playing poker and I have the computer to myself. The computer has become part of my daily routine and it's weird being suddenly deprived of it. Thank goodness I know people who are kind enough to let me use their PC.

Going back to my Internet problem, I called the customer service and demanded to talk to their supervisor. Upon talking to her, I was assured the tech guy was coming tomorrow. I was surprised because tomorrow is Sunday but hopeful that by tomorrow, I'll have my Internet connection restored.

Oh well, on a brighter side, we had a Halloween dress rehearsal at home. Ha ha! Yohan is going to be a Pirate this Halloween. On Trick or Treating night, I will let him wear black shoes and a black bandana. My son says he is Captain Yohan from the Seven Seas. :) He has cough and colds right now but hopefully, he will be well in time for Halloween.


Enjoy the rest of the weekend. I'll visit you soon when my connection is restored. For those who have tagged me, sorry I haven't posted them yet. I will work on them soon. Take care!

No DSL! Boo Hoo!

Hi friends,

I won't be able to participate on Friday's Feast this week because I don't have internet connection since yesterday. I'm here at my BIL's place right now. I hope my DSL connection will resume by tomorrow because the technician is coming (crossing my fingers).

Chances are I might miss Photo Hunters too. :(

Thanks for visiting.I'll make it up to you soon.

Before I go, here's a photo of Yohan taken earlier in school.

Happy weekend everyone!

For Lil' Joseph Michael

Take care little one.
Blow kisses in the air.
Stay happy forever.
Remember those who care.

~ Rachel

I would like to send my deepest condolences to the whole Racoma family. May God give you strength to go through this sad time. My family and I have you in our prayers.

Please say a prayer for Joseph Michael Racoma, grandson of my friend Dine, who passed away last Oct. 3, 2007.