We're moving!

For the third time since 2003, we are again moving to another apartment. The reason: the current unit we're occupying is kind of crumbling. Actually, literally, it is. I was once awaken by a thud which came from a part of the ceiling that fell off. The ceiling, by the way is made of cement. This is how the ceiling looks minus the fallen piece:

That's in the bedroom. But the living room's ceiling also looks like that. Plus, there are cracks on all the walls. Yes, on ALL of them. Plus plus, the paint inside the house is peeling off. Plus plus plus, the wooden ceiling of the bathroom seems to be hanging by a thread.

The paint peeling off

The bathroom ceiling

After 3 weekends of scouting for the perfect home, I've finally settled for the 2-bedroom, 2-storey apartment that will cost me quite a fortune. Well, fortune is relative. But yes, the new home will be more expensive. Really, really expensive. The rent is almost double, the location is farther from commercial areas, and the water is supplied by the landlord at about five times the rate of Manila Water. But then again, the family's safety shouldn't be compromised, right?

Now, I have to think of and implement ways on how to cut on other costs. I'll probably get a cheaper internet service. No one will use the toilet flush. We grew up on tabo after all. I will probably buy the cheapest milk for myself. That is, if I won't give it up altogether. I'll probably give up on my specialty diet and go back to eating rice and ulam. No more malling on weekends, no more "I love this" purchases. Everytime I want to buy something, I'll ask myself first, "do I really NEED this?" (thank God I saw the movie "The Confessions of a Shopaholic"). Graduate studies will also have to take the backseat for now. I think I also have to go back to working on oDesk.

Oh, the things we sacrifice for family...

It's official.

On Wednesday night, I noticed that my throat hurt whenever I swallowed. I didn't have fever or cough or colds. Since I had to take Chu to the pediatrician yesterday, I only had today to go to an ENT to have my throat checked. It's now official, I am stressed out. She said that it's the reason why I have this pharyngitis. I don't know if that's possible, but there... she said it was stress that's causing this. I would normally do a research on this so-called relationship between stress and pharyngitis, but I think I am too tired to do it now. Maybe later.

Anyway, she advised me to gargle with Orahex (which tastes like mentholated ampalaya by the way) thrice a day. Talk about agony. Eew talaga. And then she prescribed Ectrin (mucolytic, because I told her I have thick mucus in my throat) and some multivitamins called Opstres.

If this plan doesn't work, (i.e., if the condition worsens by Sunday), I have to go back to the doc. I hope though that it does work because the cost of medication is one of the stress factors.

Halting the rushaholic

As I write this, Chu is already fast asleep. But I check on her every 15 minutes. I skipped work today because when I arrived from school last night, I found out that she had a slight fever. So, starting this morning, I've been giving her Dolan FP every six hours. So far, the fever goes away everytime she takes it. Unfortunately, and almost precisely, the fever comes back after the 6th hour. I am really worried because she also said that her throat hurts. At the height of the H1N1 flu scare, who wouldn't worry?

For the past months, I have been very busy at work. And for a while I've forgotten why I am working. I've been so busy maintaining my momentum. Until today. This morning, while preparing Chu's breakfast, I realized how much I missed her. Yes, I help her prepare for school every morning, but I think I fall short on giving her the tender loving care she deserves. So today, I gave her that. And I promised myself to do it every single day. After all, she's the reason why I hold on to my job, so there's no way she should rank second to it.

Scents of my life

When I was studying culinary arts, I was once told how strong my sense of taste is. And since about 80% of what we perceive as taste comes from smell, I therefore conclude that my nose is of superb quality. Har har.

Okay, seriously now. Actually, my sense of smell doesn't only give me the pleasure of gobbling up my favorite dishes, it is also what helps me remember things I would have forgotten already due to the amount of anesthesia I was administered years ago. As far as I can recall, I've been associating moments in my life to the different scents I've been encountering during those particular times. I'd like to go over all of those scents but that would be impossible. So I'd just share some.

1. Garnier Light face cream with SPF 15. This was what I used as my facial sunblock when my friends and I went to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur last year. I stopped using it in December to try another product. But just last week, I decided to use it again. After applying it, I felt a faint smile on my face. I suddenly remembered walking in KL, looking for a place to have breakfast, with only MYR10 (loaned to me by Ramie) in my pocket. And then other things went "showing up" -- the internet shops, me asking Jane to send me prepaid cellphone load, the Petronas, me getting lost, and a whole lot more.
2. Gap Dream. I received this back in college as a gift from a friend. During that time, I was already addicted to the internet. I remember going to an "eyeball" (eeew) with a group from the defunct www.gandagwapo.com. Crazy things you do in life, eh?
3. Ralph Lauren's Romance. The first EDT I ever bought for myself. Whenever I smell it from someone, I remember my friends Diego and Bogart and all our lakads - Starbucks after office, yosi, yosi, yosi.
4. Sinigang na bangus sa bayabas. My nanay used to cook this dish a lot when my siblings and I were growing up. This reminds me of lazy weekends with the family. Come to think of it, we were a happy family. I miss all of them.
   
5. Ralph Lauren's Safari. Reminds me of a good friend. At least someone who used to be. Unfortunately, he turned into a fucking asshole. Some scents do remind me of bad times.

I'm pretty sure there are a lot of other scents that remind me of some things. But right now, my memory is malfunctioning. I'll probably have to go back to this list every once in a while to update it.