After one week off work and another week working from home, I am still here, down with a sore throat and terrible sinusitis. The many days of pasyal and varying weather conditions might have taken its toll on my not-so-frail body, plus the stress that my mamma mia has gone home already. Separation anxiety disorder??? Hehehe.
The two weeks mother was here, we just went around Singapore, eating delicious food and taking lots of pictures (see her multiply). Of course, we made kwentuhan galore and watched Oprah when we could.
She also did chores for her temporarily incapacitated daughter during that time: cleaning the bathroom, scrubbing our pots until the bottoms were back to their original silver color, sweeping the floor in our room and the common area, helping with the laundry, carrying the groceries etc. On top of that she was able to squeeze in morning jogs at the park. My mom, she's just a superwoman.
And aside from that she shared her thoughts on A New Earth, which we are both currently reading. So glad to know I have an "awakened and enlightened" mother. She's really happy and easy-going, with more love for life than ever before. She had the positive energy I needed to get through that week we were waiting for the biopsy results.
Of course, hindi mawawala ang paalala about healthy eating and exercising. Hehehe.
Ah, I love my mother. I feel so lucky to have come from her (and daddy of course). =)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
And the result is out
No malignancy seen! Yey!
When Dr. Chuwa broke the news to me, B and Mommy, we were just so relieved and said thank you. Hay, sobrang nakahinga kami lahat ng maluwag.
Salamat sa Diyos!
When Dr. Chuwa broke the news to me, B and Mommy, we were just so relieved and said thank you. Hay, sobrang nakahinga kami lahat ng maluwag.
Salamat sa Diyos!
Friday, July 11, 2008
And the ouch is over
Gone through the mammotomy yesterday. The operation only lasted about 25 minutes. Thanks to technology. =)
As soon as the nurse called me in the operating room, she asked me to lie down to take off my gown and lie on the bed. The room was small, with just Dr Chuwa and two nurses. No steel in sight, just the ultrasound and mammotome machine.
Dr Chuwa went down to business straight away. She was trying her best to comfort me and told me to not look at her and instead turn my attention to the ultrasound screen or just close my eyes. I preferred to watch so I turned my head toward the screen. Hindi na siya nagpaligoy-ligoy at after malinisan ang area sa right breast ko ay tinusok ang needle for the anesthesia. Kurot lang ito, I thought.
Hindi ko na naramdaman na pinasok niya ang needle for the mammotomy pero nakita ko sa screen. It was a long, white line. The doctor was trying to catch the lump. She said it was running away from her. After a while nahuli din niya and the process began. I saw how the lumps (black holes on the screen) slowly began to disappear. The other lump had calcifications at sabi ni doc, mapapansin ko daw na magiiba ang sound nung machine. True enough, when she was working on the calcified area, para bang hinapo yung machine. Mejo pumurol yung blade after kaya medyo natagalan before maubos lahat. Towards the end of the operation, medyo nararamdaman ko na yung kirot. Tiniis ko na lang. Tinanong nga ako ni doc kung nung operation ko daw ba sa Manila ay gising ako. Sabi ko oo. "No wonder you can take this," sabi niya.
Tapos nun one of the nurses started applying pressure on my wound para tumigil ang bleeding. The other one showed me the fleshy stuff the machine sucked out of me. It was like ground beef na mas soft ang texture and mas red. In a couple of minutes, I was out of there. Wala akong sakit na naramdaman.
Buti na lang pumayag ang hospital na bayaran namin ng installment. Hay salamat, di namin magagalaw ang savings namin.
Ok naman lahat after that. Except last night nung sumakit talaga ng todo yung wound. Napaiyak ako sa sakit. Uminom na lang ako ng dalawang Biogesic at nakatulog na. This morning walang sakit at all.
Next week lalabas ang biopsy results. I was given nine days of rest so work from home na lang ako starting next week. Ang bait nga ng boss ko. Inemail ko siya kahapon and sabi niya wag ko daw pwersahin sarili ko magwork kung kailangan ko daw magrest.
Hay salamat. Can finally catch up on my reading.
As soon as the nurse called me in the operating room, she asked me to lie down to take off my gown and lie on the bed. The room was small, with just Dr Chuwa and two nurses. No steel in sight, just the ultrasound and mammotome machine.
Dr Chuwa went down to business straight away. She was trying her best to comfort me and told me to not look at her and instead turn my attention to the ultrasound screen or just close my eyes. I preferred to watch so I turned my head toward the screen. Hindi na siya nagpaligoy-ligoy at after malinisan ang area sa right breast ko ay tinusok ang needle for the anesthesia. Kurot lang ito, I thought.
Hindi ko na naramdaman na pinasok niya ang needle for the mammotomy pero nakita ko sa screen. It was a long, white line. The doctor was trying to catch the lump. She said it was running away from her. After a while nahuli din niya and the process began. I saw how the lumps (black holes on the screen) slowly began to disappear. The other lump had calcifications at sabi ni doc, mapapansin ko daw na magiiba ang sound nung machine. True enough, when she was working on the calcified area, para bang hinapo yung machine. Mejo pumurol yung blade after kaya medyo natagalan before maubos lahat. Towards the end of the operation, medyo nararamdaman ko na yung kirot. Tiniis ko na lang. Tinanong nga ako ni doc kung nung operation ko daw ba sa Manila ay gising ako. Sabi ko oo. "No wonder you can take this," sabi niya.
Tapos nun one of the nurses started applying pressure on my wound para tumigil ang bleeding. The other one showed me the fleshy stuff the machine sucked out of me. It was like ground beef na mas soft ang texture and mas red. In a couple of minutes, I was out of there. Wala akong sakit na naramdaman.
Buti na lang pumayag ang hospital na bayaran namin ng installment. Hay salamat, di namin magagalaw ang savings namin.
Ok naman lahat after that. Except last night nung sumakit talaga ng todo yung wound. Napaiyak ako sa sakit. Uminom na lang ako ng dalawang Biogesic at nakatulog na. This morning walang sakit at all.
Next week lalabas ang biopsy results. I was given nine days of rest so work from home na lang ako starting next week. Ang bait nga ng boss ko. Inemail ko siya kahapon and sabi niya wag ko daw pwersahin sarili ko magwork kung kailangan ko daw magrest.
Hay salamat. Can finally catch up on my reading.
Friday, July 4, 2008
i finally found it
It may be premature to say this but I think I found THE job. I've been here for four days and I'm loving everything about it--the company, my boss, my teammates and the job itself.
It's fun to write about hotels all over the world. I like everything that goes into writing a 140-word hotel description. Along the way I learn about new places and how different people who have been to those places have varied opinions. Some say Lisbon is a nice place, others say it is dangerous (lots of pickpockets). This job adds fire to my passion for travel. I want to see the world!
Aside from that, my boss is so cool. He's so positive. He uses words like "great" and "excellent" and starts his sentences with "i would be happy if..." He's the kind of boss anyone would love to work for and would never mind seeing and being with every single day. Kanina nga nagpaalam ako for my leave on Thursday. Ang opening ko, "Sorry to bother you G," and he said "don't be sorry." Nung tinanong ko naman kung ok lang ako magwork from home in case di ko kaya pumasok the next day, sabi niya "I would be happy if you work from home on Friday." Hay salamat.
At ang teammates ko! Kahit di ko sila madalas nakakasama dahil work from home sila, ok naman sila pag andito. Si O, subeditor sa una kong work dito sa Singapore. She is now a senior copywriter here and subs my work. Hindi din siya nagkukulang sa praises pag okay ang trabaho ko.
And the company. Hay salamat at nakatagpo ako ng organization na organized talaga at hindi lang nagpapanggap na organized. After my previous jobs here, I realized that in companies, I prefer yung may malinaw na structure, may malinaw na objectives, may malinaw na role at tasks ang mga tao, like sa GS.
Sana tuloy-tuloy na ito at hindi matapos ang kontrata ko sa December. Pero kung ganon, nagpapasalamat pa din ako at andito ako ngayon. Happppppppyyyyyyyyyy!
Totoo talaga na if you follow your passion, everything will fall into place.
It's fun to write about hotels all over the world. I like everything that goes into writing a 140-word hotel description. Along the way I learn about new places and how different people who have been to those places have varied opinions. Some say Lisbon is a nice place, others say it is dangerous (lots of pickpockets). This job adds fire to my passion for travel. I want to see the world!
Aside from that, my boss is so cool. He's so positive. He uses words like "great" and "excellent" and starts his sentences with "i would be happy if..." He's the kind of boss anyone would love to work for and would never mind seeing and being with every single day. Kanina nga nagpaalam ako for my leave on Thursday. Ang opening ko, "Sorry to bother you G," and he said "don't be sorry." Nung tinanong ko naman kung ok lang ako magwork from home in case di ko kaya pumasok the next day, sabi niya "I would be happy if you work from home on Friday." Hay salamat.
At ang teammates ko! Kahit di ko sila madalas nakakasama dahil work from home sila, ok naman sila pag andito. Si O, subeditor sa una kong work dito sa Singapore. She is now a senior copywriter here and subs my work. Hindi din siya nagkukulang sa praises pag okay ang trabaho ko.
And the company. Hay salamat at nakatagpo ako ng organization na organized talaga at hindi lang nagpapanggap na organized. After my previous jobs here, I realized that in companies, I prefer yung may malinaw na structure, may malinaw na objectives, may malinaw na role at tasks ang mga tao, like sa GS.
Sana tuloy-tuloy na ito at hindi matapos ang kontrata ko sa December. Pero kung ganon, nagpapasalamat pa din ako at andito ako ngayon. Happppppppyyyyyyyyyy!
Totoo talaga na if you follow your passion, everything will fall into place.
yesterday was exhausting
B and I formalized our permanent residence yesterday. Woke up at 5:30am so we could be at the ICA at 8am. We arrived there a few minutes before 8 and the line was so long already. Halos umikot sa buong building. We were let in at exactly 8am and we directly proceeded to the 5th floor to get our queue number and have our photos taken. We were there from 8 to about 11. Ang tagal maghintay. We will be getting our blue card next week.
From there we went to Orchard. B sent money back home and put some in our wedding fund in the Philippines. After that we had lunch at Wisma's Food Republic. I had the super delicious Chicken Masala set (served with rice and freshly made naan) from Chutney's, while B had malay food. We bought fraps at Starbucks after and caught up on our reading before we headed to KK Children and Women's Hospital around 2pm.
I had an appointment with Dr Chuwa, my pretty breast doctor at the KK Breast Centre. As you know, I had this lump removed from my right breast two years ago (oo, 2006 pa yun). When I moved here, I made it a point to have my breasts monitored (since my aunt had breast cancer). I think I first saw Dr Chuwa May 2007. I've been seeing her every six months ever since because the lump was still there. Or maybe it grew back. My left breast is okay. The mammos and ultrasound films are clear.
But this lump on my right breast is stubborn. Dr Chuwa did an ultrasound scan on me yesterday and she said the lump grew--from 0.7cm to 1.4 cm. She said we now have a good reason to remove it. The smaller lump was also merging with the bigger lump. She scheduled me for a mammotome next week. A mammotome involves making a small cut on my breast, inserting a needle and sucking the lump out. Parang vacuum cleaner. Local anesthesia lang ang ibibigay sa akin.
I was relaxed all throughout the consultation. Mas kinabahan pa si Reden. However, when the nurse talked to me about the cost of the procedure, naubos lahat ng energy ko. It's so expensive!!! It could range from S$2,000 to a bit more than S$4,000 depending on the tests that the doctor will require and if she's going to put a marker in there. The mammotome will remove both lumps and to make monitoring easier, she could opt to put a marker in the hollow space that would be left.
Fortunately, B and I both have personal savings na pwede naming galawin. Nakakasama lang ng loob the thought that it could be wiped out. Pero health is wealth ika nga kaya hinga na lang ng malalim. I just pray na this would all be over after the procedure. Nakakapagod and nakakadeplete ng resources ito!
Buti na lang I could work from home kaya kung hindi man ako papasukin ni doc the following day, pwede ako sa bahay. Bawas sa leave without pay.
I'm completely relaxed about the lump. Whatever it turns out to be, pinapagpasa-Diyos ko na lang. It's useless to worry. I thank God because instead of getting depressed over it, I had it in me to feel blessed and grateful.
Grateful that I could afford to take care of my health.
That I have a very supportive family back home.
And that I have a wonderful man beside me.
Thank YOU po, amen.
From there we went to Orchard. B sent money back home and put some in our wedding fund in the Philippines. After that we had lunch at Wisma's Food Republic. I had the super delicious Chicken Masala set (served with rice and freshly made naan) from Chutney's, while B had malay food. We bought fraps at Starbucks after and caught up on our reading before we headed to KK Children and Women's Hospital around 2pm.
I had an appointment with Dr Chuwa, my pretty breast doctor at the KK Breast Centre. As you know, I had this lump removed from my right breast two years ago (oo, 2006 pa yun). When I moved here, I made it a point to have my breasts monitored (since my aunt had breast cancer). I think I first saw Dr Chuwa May 2007. I've been seeing her every six months ever since because the lump was still there. Or maybe it grew back. My left breast is okay. The mammos and ultrasound films are clear.
But this lump on my right breast is stubborn. Dr Chuwa did an ultrasound scan on me yesterday and she said the lump grew--from 0.7cm to 1.4 cm. She said we now have a good reason to remove it. The smaller lump was also merging with the bigger lump. She scheduled me for a mammotome next week. A mammotome involves making a small cut on my breast, inserting a needle and sucking the lump out. Parang vacuum cleaner. Local anesthesia lang ang ibibigay sa akin.
I was relaxed all throughout the consultation. Mas kinabahan pa si Reden. However, when the nurse talked to me about the cost of the procedure, naubos lahat ng energy ko. It's so expensive!!! It could range from S$2,000 to a bit more than S$4,000 depending on the tests that the doctor will require and if she's going to put a marker in there. The mammotome will remove both lumps and to make monitoring easier, she could opt to put a marker in the hollow space that would be left.
Fortunately, B and I both have personal savings na pwede naming galawin. Nakakasama lang ng loob the thought that it could be wiped out. Pero health is wealth ika nga kaya hinga na lang ng malalim. I just pray na this would all be over after the procedure. Nakakapagod and nakakadeplete ng resources ito!
Buti na lang I could work from home kaya kung hindi man ako papasukin ni doc the following day, pwede ako sa bahay. Bawas sa leave without pay.
I'm completely relaxed about the lump. Whatever it turns out to be, pinapagpasa-Diyos ko na lang. It's useless to worry. I thank God because instead of getting depressed over it, I had it in me to feel blessed and grateful.
Grateful that I could afford to take care of my health.
That I have a very supportive family back home.
And that I have a wonderful man beside me.
Thank YOU po, amen.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
bagong trabaho na!
Nagumpisa na ako sa bago kong work kahapon. So far okay naman. Mas cool ang amo ko ngayon. He's Aussie. Like DFT and AMG. Almost like DW (since he's taga NZ). I'm starting to think their race could be the coolest bosses. Ito din ang company na may pinakamaayos na opisina sa tatlong napasukan ko. Nasa Raffles Place ito, ang Makati ng Singapore. Matagal ko nang pinapangarap na makakuha ng work dito. Mejo masakit kasi sa loob na magtrabaho sa factory building after three years sa Paseo de Roxas ano.
The work is fun. I've been writing copy for the Lisbon hotels we're selling (I'm working for a travel site a la Trip Advisor and Zuji). Gusto ko na tuloy pumunta sa Lisbon at makita ang Belem Tower, Alfama, St Jorge Castle, Marques de Pombal at ang Avenida da Liberdade. Parang ang ganda dun.
Lunch is a no-brainer kasi malapit lang ito sa Lau Pa Sat kung saan madaming pagpipilian, including Pinoy food.
Ang isa lang ayaw ko dito, super lamig! Naninigas na mga daliri ko!
The work is fun. I've been writing copy for the Lisbon hotels we're selling (I'm working for a travel site a la Trip Advisor and Zuji). Gusto ko na tuloy pumunta sa Lisbon at makita ang Belem Tower, Alfama, St Jorge Castle, Marques de Pombal at ang Avenida da Liberdade. Parang ang ganda dun.
Lunch is a no-brainer kasi malapit lang ito sa Lau Pa Sat kung saan madaming pagpipilian, including Pinoy food.
Ang isa lang ayaw ko dito, super lamig! Naninigas na mga daliri ko!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)