So, what's new?

I feel like I've been gone for almost like an eternity, what with all the comments I received in my last entry....hahahaha.

Well, blame it on PLDT. We couldn't apply for a new dsl connection since the previous family who rented this place left a 5-figure debt for unpaid internet bills. Grrr... So, the only recourse we had was to transfer our previous line to this place, which took more than a month. After we had our PLDT connection, it was very intermittent. So we had to badger the PLDT people to come up with a solution. Plus, the router we previously used became unusable. So we had to return it to the dealer who replaced the unit since it was within the warranty period. Problem was, this happened during the holidays. We had to wait till the first week of January before the dealer could have it fixed by the manufacturer. This took about a week. Sheesh! One problem led to another which would explain why I could only update my blog last week.

Oh, and what a busy week last week was and this week has proven to be. Lots of reports and letters to finish. Hopefully, this will all subside by next week. I can't really over exert myself, what with the pregnancy and all. Oh! By the way, I forgot to tell y'all....we're expecting another baby! I'm just praying hard to the Lord and all the saints and angels in heaven that we have a healthy baby this time. I will definitely tell him/her stories about their Kuya Raphael.

Oh, and it's midnight already. Hubby says I should go to sleep already so that the baby stays healthy. So, I'll be a good soldier and go to sleep now. I just want to say that I really missed blogging and I really missed all of my blog friends. Tata!

Quick Post

Sorry guys. I've been remiss in my duties -- I haven't updated my blog for quite some time now. I even forgot to blog about my 1st BLOGSARY!!! Shoot. Anyway, just wanted you guys to know that I'm still alive. My hubby's competing in a tournament this weekend. Will probably post some pics after...that is if I get decent ones out of my new digicam (ehem). Have a nice weekend everybody!!!

Update: Too bad my husband's team lost. The tournament was a team event. A team has to win 3 out of the 5 events in order to win. My husband didn't even get a chance to play. So, too bad, I wasn't able to get a chance to take pictures.

I'M BACK!

Hi dear friends! I know I've been gone for a long time. Rest assured that I'm perfectly alright...so far. I'm touched by the messages I received while I was gone.

Anyway, I think there's a need to explain my long absence....but then there's really no explanation for it. Hahahaha. As most of my friends in the blogosphere know by now, I'm on the family way. I've been experiencing morning sickness from hell which explains my "suplada" attitude these days....teehheee....and hubby has no choice but to put up with it. My workload has been crazy. And most of all, there were the needed trips to the doctor's clinic and to the hospital.

My first ultrasound was a happy one, saw the peanut-sized foetus inside the uterus and my heart fluttered like crazy...until I saw the doctor frowning. "Doc, what's wrong?" She answered, "there seems to be a dermoid cyst in your left ovary." And that was it. What happened was a series of tests with different doctors to prove the presence of a dermoid cyst. There's really a need to remove the cyst because it's continually getting bigger in size and there's a chance that I might go into premature labor if it's not removed. The doctor assured me that it's routine procedure and the baby won't be harmed. I've been praying the rosary everyday, asking for help to make sure that the baby remains safe throughout the whole procedure and even afterwards.

So, how do you lift a sagging spirit? Why...shopping of course! It certainly won't solve the problem of my cyst but I sure do have to look at least presentable while I'm pregnant, right? So, armed with only a small amount of cash, I decided to go to the best bargain place in Manila....Divisoria. Why spend a lot of money when I get to wear maternity clothes for a few more months anyway?

So here are my bargain buys...

Php 130 or roughly US$2.60

Php 180 or approx. US$3.60

Php 100 or approx. US$ 2.00

I bought 2 of these beauties in different colors,

each at Php 100 or approx. US$ 2.00

Php 230 or approx. US$ 4.60

So, if you meet a pregnant lady one of these days wearing any of these outfits, it might just be me! :-)

The weekend that was...

I had a very uneventful weekend. The ravages of typhoon "Milenyo" were still visible all across the metropolis. I hope all of my friends and relatives are okay and weren't affected by the typhoon, except of course for the power and water interruption.

It's Monday once more and the beginning of a workweek. For some reason, I'm feeling a lot better today. Read somewhere that eating foods rich in complex carbohydrates will lessen the feeling of morning sickness. Must be the result of the oatmeal breakfast I had this morning. Note to self: I will eat oatmeals every morning from now on.

I'm sorry to all of those who commented on my previous post which were left unanswered. I actually answered them but for some reason, could not post the answers to blogspot. Don't know what's wrong. But I do appreciate all of your greetings.

My posts have become less frequent. But I'm not abandoning blogging. I consider it a very helpful therapy for me. I just hope I get into a writing mood one of these days. Anyway, that's it for now.


P.S.
Tomorrow, 3 October 2006, is the deadline for submission of entries in the 2006 Yonex Sunrise Philippines National Open Badminton Championships. It's one of the premiere events in the Philippine badminton scene. For more info on this tournament and on how to join, please visit this site.

This awful weather...

I hate this awful weather we are experiencing in Metro Manila right now. It’s supposedly just monsoon weather and not the typhoon which hit other parts of Northern Luzon today. The typhoon’s name is “Florita.” (Hmmm…I thought PAG-ASA had already resorted to giving masculine names to typhoons? Why the female name now?) In Metro Manila, the DepEd (Department of Education) suspended classes this morning in grade school and high school levels (albeit belatedly, while the students were already in school and probably had a hard time getting home) and government offices sent workers home early. I also heard from the radio this morning that Metro Manila will be experiencing this kind of weather until Friday. (grrr...)

At about 4:30 this afternoon, I looked out the window and was surprised to see dark and gloomy weather. It looked as if nighttime had fallen already. So, feeling depressed (gloomy weather makes me depressed…I’m not sure but there’s some scientific explanation for it), I decided to browse the internet for news about the weather we’re currently experiencing.

I was stunned to see this picture here.

This is a result of the landslide which hit Baguio last night. In fact, a 4-year old boy was pinned down and is considered dead by the authorities although they have yet to recover his body. Tsk tsk... I realized that I have no reason to complain while I’m sitting here in my room safe and sound while several lives were lost due to the typhoon. I better count my blessings.

One sick day...

I had to call in sick yesterday because I had LBM coupled with an intense pain in my stomach. So, with nothing to do all day (halleluiah!), I decided to watch all the DVDs I bought over the past few weeks which somehow got ignored with all of the deadlines and reports I had to do at the office.

First off, I decided to watch “Failure to Launch” starring Sarah Jessica Parker (“SJP”) and Matthew McConaughey. It was just a so-so movie. There were even some corny moments especially when the crowd was cheering Matthew on while he was trying to patch things up with SJP (they were viewing the scene in a laptop connected to several webcams in the room where Matthew and SJP was). It was like a scene out of the 80’s. I definitely wouldn’t watch this movie again.

Ok. I hoped the next one would be better. So, I popped in “Date Movie” starring Alyson Hannigan (of the American Pie series) and Adam Campbell. Omigod…this was even worse. I wasn’t even able to watch the whole movie since it was so boring that I slept through most of it. (Zzzzzz……)

Since I did not have much success in this area, I surrendered. I didn’t think the rest of the DVDs would make me feel better. So I decided to channel-surf instead and see what’s happening on the boob tube.

I suddenly remembered, it was Day 2 of the Wimbledon Championships. I got excited. There’s something about watching tennis players slugging it out in the nice green courts of Wimbledon which soothes me. I prefer it over the red clay courts of Roland Garros. I learned that most of the scheduled play for Day 1 of Wimbledon was suspended due to the rain. (so what else is new, this happens every year.) Play for Day 2 was also temporarily suspended, however, play resumed as soon as the rain stopped. I really pity the players who would just sit there all day waiting for the rain to stop. I hear there’s talk of putting a roof over the Centre Court….finally!

I just love hearing the British accent of the commentator with their quirky slangs. (“Kim Clijsters is in the doldrums.”) And the umpire is very courteous. (“Mrs. Henin-Hardenne to serve.”) The fact that Wimbledon is steeped in tradition never ceases to amaze me. I love watching the lady players curtsy especially when there are royals watching.

It was also nice to see the comeback of Martina Hingis in Wimbledon. She holds the record for being the youngest tennis player to win the Wimbledon championships in 1997. I think that the semi-retirement of Hingis gave her a more thorough appreciation of the game. I always thought that she was too young to appreciate her status then. (Who can forget her face full of tears when she lost to Steffi Graf during one of the Championships at Roland Garros.) She really has matured and has become one of my favorites, along with Justine Henin-Hardenne.

I also learned that this is going to be the last tournament of Andre Agassi as he is set to retire after the Wimbledon. It really is the end of an era. I hope that Agassi wins the tournament, the same way Sampras won the U.S. Open when he retired, just about the time Bridgette Wilson Sampras was carrying their first child. What a way to end a career. But let’s not forget that Roger Federer is on a roll. Who can beat him on grass? I don’t think that his nemesis, Rafael Nadal, can beat him on grass even though Nadal was won majority of their head-to-head matches (which are usually on clay.) The next 2 weeks in Wimbledon will prove to be exciting, so let’s all wait and see.

On the local badminton scene, the JVC tournament held at Powersmash Makati is ongoing. Badminton fanatics are encouraged to watch and cheer their favorite players. Hope to see you all there!