A Drop of Life

It was a little pass 2 o' clock in the afternoon when I find myself staring at the ceiling doing nothing except squeezing a stress ball for every 5 seconds. I'm actually experiencing this for the first time. The blood bag beside me is quickly fattening up and all the while I was thinking "Hey, I really could save a life." I could feel a little tingling sensation in the puncture site where my blood is being drawn out. It's a little odd but painless though. Of course the insertion of the needle is always a hateful part of extraction but after that I felt nothing; which is weird and creepy because I'm quite aware that a 19 gauge needle is sticking inside my arm. Now, how I ended up donating my blood all of a sudden? Well, thinking back now, I think I was being childish and adventurous at the same time. Haha. It was after a Sunday duty's work and while I was walking home, I passed by Lorenzo Ruiz Academy, which is beside the Binondo Church; and tents were set up and lots of people were rushing about. The colors attracted me more than what was really going on. Purple and yellow everywhere! So I said why not be a part of it. The first step was to weigh yourself... and I pretty much failed on that one. Haha. The required weight needed was a healthy 50 kg but I was only 48 so I lied to the guy taking my weight and told him that I had already donated before. Being such a bad liar that I am, I actually convinced that guy and he wrote on my form a realistically good 50.1 kg. ;) Haha. Ok, Step 2, fill up the form given. It was a check-yes-or-no questions and I was thankful enough that there were no boring-essay-type answers needed. Yes! Time for step 3, blood pressure me away, Baby! Surprisingly, I passed this test. 120/70! Wow! I really was feeling great and healthy that day. I'm usually a 110/70 or even lower. Step 4 was a consultation with the doc. The doctor whom I was appointed to was funny and kind. He asked me lots of disturbing but necessary questions which I remembered correctly answering some of them with evident shock. Step 5 is for the ID. I got a cute violet-colored blood donor card. It even has a my picture printed on it. Step 6, the last but definitely not the least, drum roll please... the extraction, which will bring us back to where we started. It is really not that painful plus you get to renew your blood (which is good), help other people (which is also great) and get a lot of snacks (which is even better)! The blood donation was sponsored by the "Eng Bee Tin" and "Mr. Ube" and their fire station. This had been a great experience for me. Being spontaneous had never been this fun! Thanks guys for reading this. Hope it had encouraged you in some way. God Bless!


Take care my little ones. Mommy knows you can be the hope to others.




Stranger Passing-By
SP-B/05/29/13

In Stranger Tides 2

Poppies... 
Daisies...
Butterflies...
Hey, don't go...
Come back here, Princess...
Her eyes glittering like the sun, so blinding yet captivating, and the air just seemed so strangely sweet like jasmines and shampoos. Where do you think you're going? Thump. Thump. As I run through the soft grass. I could almost reach her... just a little more closer... could almost--- BLAG!
All the flowers suddenly burst and popped up like bubbles as I opened my eyes and glared at the glimmering sunlight. It took me awhile to figure out the where; which is on the floor in my hotel room, and the when and a little while longer on the tangle that I'm in with the blankets that seemed to be like strangling me with every move I made. At last, victory is mine. I stood up and looked around. Did I threw a party last night or was there an animal rampage on the loose? My eyes couldn't get anymore bigger as I absorbed the scene in front of me. Every window smashed, couches ripped, furniture bamboozled, curtains... never mind, and to think that I slept through all these? What on earth happened? My mind is racing a million GB per millisecond and suddenly I thought of my satchel. The thieves must have been after that! Yes, but how did they know? I upturned everything in sight as I fervently searched for my beloved satchel. No, they must not have it. They must not--- Aha! Argh, the look on their faces must have been priceless. In the middle of crisis, I completely forgot that I; a master thief, never failed to secure my things. I leaped gingerly from broken chairs to another and finally reached my hand inside an opened vent and voila! My medallion, safe and sound. Those nasty thieves must have been after this, the Golden Talisman of the Dead Knight. But how did they come to know of this? The medallion was from our last expedition. The search for this was thought beyond capable but we go for the impossible. We did this in secrecy and when we finally found the Golden Talisman of the Dead Knight, the duty of keeping it safe was imposed on me while we locate the next clue to the hidden treasures of the knight. This talisman would serve as the key to wherever passage the knight hid his treasures. Right now, well, we're still figuring. I was still looking at the medallion when a I heard a knock on my door. 
"Sir, room service..."
Room Service? But I didn't order anything. I was about to open the door when a thought came into my mind.
"Oh, please wait. I'll be there in a sec..." I said in my most casual tone. I dashed to one of the broken windows and looked down. Heights were never my favorites. I bit at the medallion and eased myself off the floor. The only escape route from here is a narrow pipe connecting to each room of the hotel. I balanced myself and walked slowly with my tail swaying back and forth all the time. Just as I was about to reach the window to the next room, there was a loud noise behind me. I supposed it must have been the door. I leaped from floor to floor down and as I landed on the ground, the smirk on my face never left me. My hunch was right, those thieves trying to steal this medallion was gravely disappointed as they found out the contents on my bag was just a few copper coins and a piece of gum and so they came for me again. But then, why would they need to trash the place? Just as I was deciphering this out, sirens from the police cars where blasting from everywhere. Great! Now they think I'm the bad guy. I quickly turned my heel and run for my life.


Here it is, part two of The Adventures of Tom. Stay tuned and part three is on the way.
Thanks for reading again fellow bookworms. :)




Stranger Passing-By
SP-B/05/22/13

Never Too Old to be a Mom

Hey guys! This is just an article that I made and I want to share this with you (For no reason at all other than the mere pleasure of blogging). Here goes...

To all the Moms, Mama, Ma, Mamita, Mumsy, Inay, Nay, Nanay and Mother-to-be(s) out there. You're the best!

Pregnancy Over 40

“Get real!”, “Is it possible?” and “Won’t you be like a grandma already by the time your child reaches college?” These are just some of the questions that had formed in my earlier mind while I was still studying in med. school. The world where we are living in now is no doubt in its prime when talking about modern sciences and technologies. It can offer us almost anything from state-of-the-art architectures to advanced medical studies, and to hi-tech gadgets and scientific breakthroughs and nutritional innovations. It was only a matter of time when I completely accepted the fact that it is now possible for women over forty to get pregnant and conceive a child even while already in their pre-menopausal stage. Now the big question here would be “Is it worth all the risks?” Maybe? Or maybe not… But then there are people who would do anything just to complete their family, to have a child of their own and to hold the duties of being a parent. I have heard stories and testimonies of middle-aged women who bravely walked the path to motherhood and succeeded in defying the myth of aging. Now, let’s find out how.

Natural Ways to Get Pregnant

1.     No more barriers

The simplest way to get pregnant is of course to stop using condoms, cervical caps, sponges and other over-the-counter contraceptives. This barrier method is helpful in family planning and so the most obvious thing to do is to eliminate them first when planning to conceive a child. Though it does not guarantee instant pregnancy; so if plan A fails, it’s time for plan B.

Cutting off hormonal contraceptives are a bit harder for the body to readjust with because these steroids act directly to the endocrine system. They are highly effective birth controls but all with a cost. Studies show that using them can promote cancer on the endometrium, breasts and the ovaries.

2.     Start the count

This method is called the Calendar method and it literally uses a calendar to mark your fertility days. Now, how to do just that? Easy, just put an “X” on the first and the last day of your menstruation. An “O”, check, other letters or heart would also do as long as the mark is there. Do this for a couple of months and you would be able to have an estimate when your next period will arrive. Now, count 14 days forward from the first day of your last menstruation, if you are in an average of the 28 days cycle. If not, just add another day forward, if you are in the 29 days; and another if you are in the 30 days. So on and so forth.

You can also mark your basal temperature. Keep a thermometer beside your bed and record your reading every morning, upon waking up. Ovulation occurs soon after your body temperature was slightly increased. If you do this religiously with patience and good-timing, there’s a good chance of you getting pregnant. 

3.     Eat right and live well

Make stress your mortal enemy. If you are a workaholic, try to slow down your world for a while and start a little meditation, yoga, music sessions and food spree! Relax and eat right. It doesn’t mean you have to become a rabbit and eat only the greens, but a good variety of fruits and vegetables will help. Beans and lean meat can do well to your diet also and did I mention a whole lot of good old water?

Pregnant at 50

They say life starts at 50 and to become pregnant, wild and free, I say you couldn’t ask for more. In reality, fertility stops when menopause starts but then as I have said before, this world can now offer us almost anything. From in vitro fertilization to cryopreservation to intrauterine insemination and many more, all are now within our reach just to promote pregnancy even if some are artificial. This issue had become a subject of controversy, especially with the churches; and many had argued that older women wanting to conceive are going against the natural way of life and the design God had made. But I can’t blame them, because I know a woman isn’t complete without a family of her own.

Reasons to be Pregnant

For some women, not wanting to get pregnant is the hardest thing they could ever do; but for others, trying to get pregnant could be their worst nightmare. So, I say the first reason to be glad that you are pregnant should be this: “Count your blessings”. Because being a mom is a gift that should be treasured and cherished. And also, it’s time for shopping! This is the time that you will love being heavy and not care a thing about it. No more diets and say hello to lovely bosoms. Stay pretty and healthy. Always eat right and plan ahead. You are now entitled to nine months of baby dreaming, name picking, nursery decorating and free food cravings. Plus you get your entire husband’s undivided attention so spoil yourself and make the best out of everything. Have fun!

How to Get Pregnant at 40

The scenario here is a distressed damsel already in her forties, wanting to get pregnant but Prince Charming simply lost his way in the forest. But never fear for he might have a GPS installed in his horse somewhere. Or not…

Plan B, a distressed damsel already in her forties, wanting to get pregnant but consulted her doctor first and found out that she can have a child by doing the following listed slightly below.

1.     Live right… as always

Eliminate stress, take vitamins, eat balanced diet, exercise, quit smoking, no to alcohols, cut back caffeine and did I already mention eliminate stress?

2.     Have your blood tested

A quick test on your hormones could conclude how your hormonal levels are doing. This can be followed with a dose or two to pills that can enhance your sleeping-beauty eggs. But be on the guard for likely side effects such as headaches, dizziness and multiple births.

3.     Perform natural ways to get pregnant

Keep your hopes up because it is not too late for you. Prince Charming might really get a GPS installed and he is somewhere out there still looking for you. And if you found him (lucky for you) and you really really want to have a child and you think your clock is ticking fast, why not do it the old fashion way. Do it naturally and don’t forget to consult your doctor from time to time. If all fails, assisted pregnancy is always available.

 Thank you so much for reading and remember, have fun and do it the right way. 

Stranger Passing-By

SP-B/05/22/13