My Grandkids

At my age, I am already a LOLA. In our vernacular,they call it as "matwa ku daya." My grandchildren are kids of my nieces and nephews who in turn are children of my first cousins. Three of my apos had their first glimpse of Pinas two months ago. Their arrival served as reason for my close relatives and I to bond and "pasyal" as family.Let me introduce my beautiful and cute apos.

Day 1

The above photo was a remembrance of Ati Peng's blooper upon our arrival at the hotel,where my balikbayan cousin,Ate Elvie and her fam are staying. Ati Peng really made us roll on the floor laughing. I'll let you guess what she did.:)

These are Mai's twins,Nathan and Noah. My gosh,they really are identical. They dress similarly and look sooo alike,up until now,I can't distinguish one from the other. Good thing,Ate Elvie thought of a strategy to help everyone including herself.  Yellow gold necklace for Noah and white gold for Nathan.:) 

Welcome back,Ate Elvie.

AC and Tasha

On our first day in Manila,we literally had an educational trip. I was excited to step my feet back in Fort Santiago. My memories of the place back in elementary years resurfaced all at once. The tour began with calesa ride in Intramuros which gave us a chance to see historic and ancient structures.

Field trip at Fort Santiago

To be back in the grounds of Fort Santiago was something I was grateful and proud of. It was refreshingly neat. I was glad to meet other Pinoys and foreign tourists walking in the park. 

Day 1 Evening

Miss Unigay candidates.

Soon as the kids lost their energy and fell in deep slumber, the adults made a plan to find a comedy bar as per request by Ate Elvie. She missed it. Luckily,The Library was just 3 blocks away from the hotel. Yes,we laughed and giggled as much as we wished to. I was dead tired and I almost placed toothpicks in my eyes so I could stay awake.Nonetheless, I had a great chunk of laughing out loud that night.

Tired me.

Day 2 

 Some good things are truly for free,like a morning walk in Manila Bay. It has proven to be helpful for jaded bodies and spirit alike.People-watching can be therapeutic,it could deviate us away from our own dilemmas and just wonder what these human beings are up in their lives.

Cutie Andrew.

Andrew is the son of my nephew,Bingbong. He is simply the cutest with his smiles and laughter.

At Fontana,Clark

Nathan?Noah?

Pam,Nathan(?),AC,Noah(?),Shobe,Dadha,Tasha

Kakagigillll.

Super asleep the twins.

Hello Kitty Tashy.

My time spent with family and relatives are always booked as special. They mean a lot to me and they never fail to sprinkle additional smile in my heart.

LOLA MITZI

gastronomic trips

I love to eat.Food and munching make me smile. I always look forward for my next meal. I love the plating and presentation of dish served. It has always been a wish of mine to shed some pounds so I could wear sexy dresses.But once I imagine mouth-watering steak,rice,chicken cooked in any way,cafe mocha,fries,and anything edible, it remains just that- a wish without reality in the near future.:(

• Analyn's Birthday Treat(10/11/11)

My cousin and friend Analyn(O'Len for me) brought me and Clang at The Coffee Academy in King's Royal Hotel for a quiet dinner for her post-natal day celebration.

The Coffee Academy

Our present.

For your home.

Rosemary chicken.

 We ordered kani salad for appetizer. Rosamary chicken,sizzling chicken,pansit,crispy ribs and sweet and sour fish as main courses. We were supposed to have coffee afterwards yet there was no space left in out GI system.

AC as Nathan

Sis souls

Food becomes more delicious in the company of lovely people.I cherish and love my sis souls,Clang and Analyn. They are ones of the very few who know me inside out and who love me in spite and despite my eccentricities and flawed behavior.

•  Rack's with Kids

Inip na si Tam.

Whatta face.

Tender and juicy ribs.

I was satisfied with the side dish(mashed potato and corn & carrots) and their baby back ribs. It 's tender and juicy.The only tiny flaw is the small size to think it's 1/2 slab already. No-no for sharing.

rekindled union

Last week,my clinical practice chair informed me I will undergo training-orientation in one hospital and Operating Room (OR) is the chosen area.Floors/wards and delivery rooms(DR) I am accustomed with.I cringed with anxiety. I am already way crass in the field,I am still familiar with the principles though: aseptic/sterile technique,surgical handwashing,gloving and so forth. In spite of the humongous fear inside me, I bravefully set my mind I will go with it. Time to face uncertainties and step out of my comfort zone.This is it,pancit!!!

Together with two clinical instructors Ma'am Au and Raidis, we recollected the OR instruments.Allis and bobcock have always been my favorites and I never forget their semblance,I don't know why.There was confusion between a thumb and tissue forceps,my technique: teeth=tissue.:) We were apprehensive yet very eager to relearn and recall all that we needed to know in the area.We were on with it with much gusto.We carefully observed actual surgical procedures such as Caesarian section(CS) with bilateral tubal ligation(BTL) and cholecystectomy. At home, I pulled out and read the OR manual.

OR instruments

Suction and cauterize.

Mayo table

On our second day of orientation, my company "forced" me to be the instrument nurse for a scheduled surgery. Good thing there was no CCTV installed in the theater lest my rattled face was captured. I was soooo hesitant,it was only when the senior OR nurse calmly told me,"Eka tatakut,turuanan da na ka man,"that I finally succumbed to the task. I did surgical handwashing,gowning,closed gloving,mayo table preparation,counting of instruments as ideally as I remember how. My hands and knees were teetering. As I was doing the works, I quietly prayed to Jesus to please,please help me. I even talked to Papang to pray for me too.

The procedure began with a prayer. OH mmmm!!! There I was,passing the instruments to the surgeon( he was very patient) and suture nurse. They moved quickly yet efficiently. I was like in  a whole new world,it felt really surreal. Knife.Clamps.Metz. Clamp.Allis. Thumb,no tissue. Prepare Chromic 1-0.Mayo. Straight. Count instruments.Ready cotton.Closing.Final counting. Gents and ladies, I propitiously survived!!Two things that scared me the most: ma-scrub out ako and incomplete count of instruments. They did not happen.Yeeyyyy!!My gratitude for my neurons that were suddenly active after years of hibernation in OR,Raidz and Ma'am Au were beside me supporting me(we were all able to assist),the staff nurses that offered the necessary help,and the considerate surgeon.

I am a registered nurse. However, I humbly admit there are  quite a number of tasks and procedures which I still need to polish,practice and procure some more,and OR skills top the list. To be back in the theater and don the gown as a scrub nurse brought me exhilaration and accomplishment. It truly feels good to be back in my first-loved area in college-the Operating Room. On a more personal note,I mustered enough courage to block my apprehension with the tiny yet deep hope that someday,I'd get to scrub for my Mc Dreamy.

Till the next surgery.

CROCS Mega Sale at Marquee Mall

Last week, Crocs held its annual mega sale at Marquee Mall,an Ayala-owned establishment.I was super surpised to see the set up. The queue of people waiting to gain entrance at the store was long. It took us around 45 minutes to have our share of shoe inspection and selection. Pairs of footwear were marked at low,lower prices.

My picks:

These are very comfy,my feet love them.:)