And the Creator said, “let there be light.” And the flickering screen was alight.
Archive for March, 2009
March 21, 2009 at 9:12 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Reeking with Sickness
I do not like hospitals. They reek an indelible stench, an imperceptible and invisible ill omen. I remember I would hold my breath when I was a kid whenever I passed by a hospital and nearby funeral parlors in downtown Meycauayan. It was like breathing in bad luck, if not choking on hard cheese.
I have accompanied my dad and aunt to a hospital in Pasig just recently. My dad was confined there more than 2 decades ago. His first stroke made him stay there. I remembered how I had waited for so long outside the building not seeing my dad; I was young that time I could not be brought inside the hospital building. It had been a blessing in disguise: I had not hold my breath for so long. Now I am old enough and able to go inside. The visit was turning ominous.
My aunt got the blood test results. It revealed my dad’s high blood glucose: In short, he was diagnosed with Diabetes. We then went on the upper floor to get his CT-scan results. It revealed a hematoma in the brain: a probable evidence of stroke. I can feel misfortune seeping from the walls.
We were about to leave when my aunt and I noticed my dad could not carry his weight anymore. We then went to the emergency room for a quick diagnosis. The doctor immediately ordered for blood sugar detection. True enough, my dad’s blood sugar was abnormal. It was a good that he was just a tablet away from relief, but he has to take it three times a day everyday–forever.
We left and drove away. I dropped my dad and my aunt at home in Pasig, and I drove to Fitness First for a quick shower. The tangles of ill moments should be washed away. I do not want to reek sickness on my way home.
March 20, 2009 at 10:44 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
I received a text message several days ago that my dad–my biological Chinese-Filipino dad in Pasig–suffered a stroke. I earlier had sent my dad a text message asking him how he was and got a reply from my aunt instead. She apparently used my dad’s mobile phone to break the news. I took an emergency leave early morning and drove from Molino, Cavite to his house in Pasig.
My trip was fast and reached my dad’s house soon. I stepped out the car and walked to the doorbell. From the gate grills I could see my dad picking some gewgaws by the windowsill in the garden, a usual habit he does when at home. I called him and he turned around. He then walked in his lotus feet careful not to fall. His gait was a disoriented control. His hand was covering his left eye while his right arm was outsretched grasping air for himself to keep in balance. He took the key. He then bowed down, reached for the lock, and opened the gate.
When he looked up at me I saw that his eyes were askew. His left eye was not moving in pace as his right’s. Foretelling, his eyes showed a problem looming that day. He then quickly covered it. The left eye had only partial gaze; he has been seeing double. He covered his left eye to see me clearer.
My aunt went out in a second and told me that my dad had been hiding his condition from me, mother, and my siblings in Bulacan for quite a while. She could not take the secret anymore, and told me about it. She told me that we had to go to the hospital to pick up his CT Scan and blood test results. I opened the car door and helped my dad go in. I secured his safety belts, while my aunt settled at the backseat.
This is a visit that I dread.
March 14, 2009 at 8:45 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Sjora of Nestle Professional
I have been appointed to head the pilot test entry of Sjora, Nestle Professional’s newest beverage, in South Luzon. In fact, immersion was conducted for the past two days, series of meetings were done in Rockwell, and trainings were scheduled in a couple of weeks time to propel this drink to success.
I tasted this Sjora fusion of milk and fruits already. The fruit taste was evident, and the milk made the texture smooth. Since Sjora is only 10% milk, my lactose-intolerant stomache did not bother. The fruits flavor was delightful, as embroidered on my white Sjora jacket: I heart Sjora, er, I love Sjora.
My colleague and I were busy to the point of being crazy. One time, while doing rounds at Serendra, Greenbelt, and Paseo Center, my colleague Timmy chanted ‘Sjora! Sjora!’ like a kindergarten lass singing a nursery rhyme–Sjora overdose, I guess.
Sjora had been launched at Chowking branches earlier and several food establishments in Metro Manila. Sampling is ongoing and Sjora-designed dispensers are being installed. And with this initiative to spread the drink to thirsty Luzon Southerners will push the Sjora engine to full throttle–and my busy schedule made busier.
I am now hyperventilting; please pass a glass of Sjora.
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