My Bloodline...Getting to be a Royal Experience

      Suddenly i can feel my fingers trembling...heart beat thumping faster...vision is blurred...and i feel so weak and fatigue...ooops this must be hypoglycemia,  i tell my friend ...COKE PLEASE DO IT FAST!!!

Oh yes, this must be diabetes. Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic disorder characterized by abnormalities in fuel metabolism, including glucose, lipids and amino acids.

     In the past five years, I've had lots of laboratory test, uric acid, sgpt, creatinine, ionized calcium, high pressure liquid chromatography, stress test, urinalysis,  blood sugar from fasting to regular daily test - thanks to my mom for providing testers - it also has evolved from painful needles to the smaller ones and now its also a talking tester.  Some, I gave  for being so blessed, sometimes if i have extra strips( P30-P40 each) , i bring extra needles and strips to the office and share blood sugar testing with my office mates.


    Diabetes have complications like stroke, heart disease and worst peripheral gangrene - a friend of mine had to have her lower leg cut because of this, my other uncle is diabetic as well and i just learned that he is now into dialysis for kidney failure due to the big D - he even joked that he is now on extended warranty and that it has been very costly to be dialyzed.

    The worst thing that happened to me with diabetes was a miscarriage on the 4th month of pregnancy. I had doses of insulin to lower my sugar level, it was increased every week and i was told that it was too risky to be pregnant when diabetic - I never missed any check up with my ob gyne and diabetologist ...we were so excited and my kids had mix feelings of the pregnancy. Until one day, the baby lost its heartbeat and so i had to undergo a D and C.

    I even asked  my mom when she came  , Why did  you give me the most expensive gift in my lifetime...worth more than a million- Diabetes.??? She LOL . Of course, I was just kidding, its all my fault after all ---too much of anything can kill.

    The food we take can be controlled but the stress you undergo from home to work and events taking place in your life should be managed properly. Life has just began for me, there are so many opportunities in government service and the academe. A few semesters ago, I wanted to work from 8 to 8 Monday to Friday- doing two jobs,  Saturday 8-6 for my graduate studies. I earned enough to pay for my bills, medicines and travels. On the other hand, it was a bit stressful physically. Now, I have priorities and had to give up teaching to finish my studies and have more time with family.

   Recently, I won a magnum ice cream for betting on Bradley while my children were for PacMan. The ice cream and its sweetness surely gave you the royal experience and sugar reading went as high as  200. Yesterday, my friend gave me two chocolate bars - i only took a bite...my sugar is now back to 147.
Whew!!! I have started a new weight loss coffee drink yesterday (thanks to  my mom in law) . Im trying to lose weight and exercise at home by doing lots of domestic work .

    When you are in the sweetest province in the country , has a job that attends to festivals and special events in all 32 towns and cities whole year round the past 17 years - - -i bet the temptation is just irresistible.

    The secret is --- do all things in moderation.

114th Philippine Independence Day

'The flag of the Philippines shall be red, white, and blue, with a sun and three stars, as consecrated and honored by the people...' - The Philippine Consitution  Article XIII, Section 1'

 

It is written in   Merci Melchor's book on the Story of the Philippine Flag, that the flag we use today was designed by General Emilio Aguinaldo in 1897 during his exile in HongKong. In May 1898 before boarding the ship McCullough, bound for Manila- he was given the flag by Marcella Agoncillo, who also  sewed the flag with the help of  her daughter Lorenza and Jose Rizal's niece Delfina Natividad .

On June 12, 1898, the flag flew in Kawit Cavite during the declaration of Philippine Independence as Aguinaldo and his men defeated the Spaniards at the Battle of Alapan.

This flag today is a comibination of the Katipunan flags and blue stands for peace, truth and justice; red, for patriotism and valor; and white , for purity and equality. The three stars symbolize the island groups of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The eight rays represent the eight provinces of Manila, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna , Batangas and Cavite who first rose in revold against the Spaniards.

Normel, Mimi and Raymond

I remember former Gov. Joseph Maranon, at one time told employees of the Provincial Capitol to display a flag on their tables. From then on, I made use of my former boss' mini flag pole until I found one last year- proudly displayed on my table day by day. Perhaps to remind me and my fellow civil servants that the flag is not just a piece of cloth, it is a symbol of our hopes, dreams of a free and sovereign people.

Today, we bring our flags as a symbol of our pride specially in the field of Sports, Culture and the Arts.

This Pledge of Allegiance should be in our hearts and minds:

Ako'y nanaumpa sa watawat ng Pilipinas, at sa Republikang kanyang  kinakatawan. Isang bansang pinapatnubayan ng Diyos, buo at di mahahati, na may katarungan, kalayaan para sa lahat.

 

It is important for us to know that flags are to be flown with the blue strip on top only to be inverted at times of war.

In a vertical hanging position, the flag is hung with the white triangle also called the union on top, the blue strip to its left.  When flown with other flags, this should be positioned higher than the rest or to the right of other flags, and when on a parade it should be in front of the other flags. 

Let us not forget, the Philippine flag should not be allowed to touch the ground.

This morning at the Provincial Capitol Lagoon grounds, civic groups joined provincial and national government employees in the flag raising ceremony. Governor Alfredo Maranon turned over P500,000.00 assistance for the Girl Scouts of the Philippines-Negros for the repair of their headquarters. He made mention in his message that we must not forget the OFW's considered as the heroes of our generation for the remittances and being number one contributor in the economy of our country. Indeed as a product of OFW parents, I  agree, they are our unsung and modern day heroes.

 

 Today , we were singing  the national anthem with  pride ...for being  born and raised a Filipino ,  I always try to be a Filipino in thoughts, words and deeds coz, indeed I am independent and I am free.

HAPPY 114TH PHILIPPINE INDEPENDENCE DAY!

     BoyScouts

 

 

Road Trip to the other side of Negros

Summer is never complete without a visit to the

 other side of Negros Island!

The month of May is the best time of the year, school is out-kids are at home, the summer festival in Negros Occidental just ended and most of us are in vacation mode.

with CBRT participants in Calatrava

butong, anyone?

Normel

It was just a couple of weeks ago when I flew to Surigao on an all expense paid trip this summer and take part as a judge in the beauty pageant for the fairest in the province of Surigao del Norte.  Then,  the following  week when I had the chance to attend a two-day workshop on cultural writing at the museum, an invitation came for me to speak on Community Based Rural Tourism in the town with the friendliest monkeys in the country-Calatrava. So off we went early one morning along the eco-tourism highway passing through the town of DS Benedicto, the view was great, no bumps at all-thanks to Mayor Araceli's driver for the smooth drive . it is a passion of mine to speak in the native tongue with locals, brgy. captains esp. on TOURISM

with SINATO

at Go Hotel with SINATO

sunrise at the boulevard

I checked in at the municipal guest house with friend and office mate Normel, the air conditioned room had three double deck beds, a bathroom and comfort room -so clean and cozy. We walked around the town wearing our 'I LOVE NEGROS' t-shirts , people then would stare at us obviously as we looked like tourist carrying with us our cameras.

Saint Peter Apostle Parish

diversion road

We visited the church by the beach. It was 3 am the next day when we were brought back to San Carlos City, at the terminal we were able to take the regular bus to Dumaguete, we left at 4am, and took the left side window seats- for a better view of the sunrise and   the sea as we were passing through the coastal route. Indeed it was a refreshing and beautiful site that made me sing 'morning has broken , like the first morning...blackbird has spoken, like the first bird-Praise for the singing, Praise for the morning...' . 

We arrived in the City of Dumaguete at around 9 in the morning, took a pedicab to Go Hotel, just at the back of Robinson's Place.  The rest of the tourism officers from Siquijor, and towns and cities in Negros Oriental were also billeted in the same hotel. 

with Dumaguete City Mayor Sagarbarria

It was bonding time with SINATO the tourism officers association of Negros Oriental...i always feel at home with them, they are like family to me on this side of  Negros. We came to Dumaguete to support the SantaCruzan Summer Festival with Dumaguete Tourism Officer RR Maquiling. Joe of San Carlos also came with the whole Pintaflores Festival contingent as guest performer. It was indeed fun here in Dumaguete, as we joined the parade walking along the main streets with Mayor Chiquiting Sagarbarria and the other officials. Surprisingly, i never saw a body guard tagging along,  indeed i can say Dumaguete is the City of Gentle People.

Dinner at El Camino on a Saturday night was fun, it was by the beach and a stretch of bars along- so memorable, when i was young we called this place piapi beach, we would walk from grandmas house to swim early morning or late in the afternoon.

So many friends to meet and so little time, thats what i can say for this trip- but when in the city I always drop by my close friends house even for an hour or two...there we bonded with Stella and Ariel, she gave me two strawberries to grow and her latest berry tomatoes fresh from the garden- my next project for an organic garden at home.

Never leave Dumaguete without a visit to Sans Rival for the famous sansrival cake  and the sweet, cold and chewy sylvanas- it comes in butter and chocolate flavor and very affordable.

A few days from now, my girl will be back in school ---and surely, i can say Summer 2012 was fun and complete.

parade in dumaguete with Siquijor and Bayawan TO's

with Siaton and Mabinay TO'S

with bff Myla my counterpart STOO