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In Kat’s recent post she was wondering whether she was sub-consciously censoring her posts. It really made me think. Are my posts censored, too? By posting the following racy admission, am I going to turn some readers away? Am I opening myself to ridicule? Do I care? hehe Of course, I do. But people, what I’m going to say (or write) is nothing but universal truth. Take it like Sally revealing that women fake orgasm (When Harry Met Sally).

I love feeling flirty & having that ticklish feeling of a teenager with a major crush: giggly, self-conscious, you put multiple meanings from an accidental glance, or construe electric vibes during casual conversations.

I am in-love with hubby and he can get me all hot just by naughty text messages or casually dropped innuendos while telling me to pick up groceries. But the thrill of the “chase” can still get my blood boil-a-degree, too. It’s not just men who have open sexual desire, you know.

Married women, a mum in my case, still desires (a lot). Marriage did not bind my libido. It didn’t blind me to other men, and it certainly didn’t blind my husband to other women. Marriage and the promise of monogamy can make some rebellious, I’m not (yet). But it certainly didn’t take my (animal) instinct away. The only thing I’m not sure of is whether menopause will, sad if it does.

I am a flirt by nature. I like it when the men I like likes me back. Who doesn’t? When I was single, I was terrified of committing to hubby (then bf) because I was having so much fun dating and he was way too serious. (Un)fortunately I didn’t sleep around, just dated & flirted. You know: you chat, you hold hands, there might be a touch here and there. Sometimes you cuddle. Sometimes you engage in teasing kisses. Most of the time you just exchange loaded glances. Other times you let yourself go stare longingly at each other but do nothing.

It gets me going. Thinking, wondering. Perhaps I’m masochistic, more likely it’s just the hopeless romantic in me. But it’s fun. It’s a recreation. It doesn’t really matter if it was an unrequited desire (note: not love).

Perhaps brought on by my returning glory, I now have McAvoy staring at me on a daily basis when my desktop (@work) shows up. Since I have two monitors, I have two McAvoys sending shivers down my spine - joy! Soon I will have more.

I also found a more human (i.e. physically here) eye-candy. Every time I remember Jason, I wish I could post this guy’s photo here to show you WHY. Hot dude’s into kite-surfing so he’s really buff. He smells clean. He wears tattered jumpers (sweatshirts to non-Brits) when casual, business suit when formal. He’s single and a real hottie. Funny though, I discovered he also knows about Owen Wilson’s problems. Hmmm.

But in any case, just having these guys to entertain my dull moments, makes up for the 8-9 hours I spend stuck in the grind of daily work. If I wasn’t married & I do have an office-affair, I think that might make the Tube a bit tolerable, too.

For now, I just enjoy the ride.

xxx
Oh yeah, hubby knows. And come to think of it, this is not so risque afterall.

One of the evils of Democracy is the “red tape”. It’s in every bureaucratic (thank you spell checker!) organisation you have the misfortune of dealing with.

True, I laughed my ass off when I read this email about a Filipino employee trying to obtain a TIN from the Philippines’ BIR (anyone have a copy of that email - pa-forward naman uli it’s a classic worth re-reading when you’re down).

I raise my middle finger subconsciously every time I go the London’s Philippine Embassy. As soon as you step in their compound (that needs an overhaul, please!) I am transported to the hateful memories of queueing and waiting and watching our dear civil servants walk like zombies then be super-sonic when it’s 10 minutes to: lunch time or end of day. I faced our legal counsel one time while he was munching a Burger King and he’s happily chatting to someone-who-should-not-be-there-while-I-discuss-my-personal-life.

Yes, I do love (!) visiting the basement of the Embassy where you’re reminded that the Philippines is indeed poor, we cannot even maintain our Official HQ. I mean, you’d be scared to piss in the toilet & you’ll definitely hang on to your dear life when you try to climb down the stairs.

Then if your business is not done within the right hour, you are reminded how pitiful you are by begging/bribing/cajoling the clerks into “please, please madam put your super-expensive stamp on my paper before you have your adobo & we freeze outside”. Ok we do not freeze outside, we’re sometimes forced to “come back tomorrow”.

Anyway, you know what? Red tape & all the stupidity hate frustration that goes with it, is not only for the sick countries of the world.

I received an Inland Revenue letter saying I have to pay them back some Tax Credit because they apparently overpaid me. Ok, fine I will. So I called & waited. When I got thru, I answered 6 different security questions & then the operator said I failed one of them so I have to call them back. WTF?! Can’t you ask me again? Nope, “I already told you what you have to do & we cannot go any further”. 1-2-3-4… am still counting coz talagang imbyerna ka ha.

Fine I called again. This time I answered all the questions correctly. Then I stated my purpose & the clerk says, “Oh ma’am you have to dial another number for that request”. AARRGGGHH.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7…. Fine. I dialled that number. Gone thru another 6 security questions (by this time I wish I could just replay recorded answers). Then I stated my purpose hoping that this will be it! Nope. But thankfully, she could put me through directly to the correct department (how many of you are familiar with this phrase?).

Deep breaths, deep breaths. Finally after some more security questions (which I’m thankful for - honest - just exasperated), my request was dealt with!

People remember, this is a call that is meant to GIVE THEM money. I cannot imagine how it would be if I was to request for money or complaint. Que barbaridad.

image from: home.aanet.com.au/hcrosby/

A British colleague asked me whether Filipinos are called flips. His roomie is a Filipina and told him so but he was sceptical.

I know flip originated from America. Wikipedia says some Filipinos avoid the term and “prefer to be simply called Filipino or Pinoy/Pinay instead”. I am one of those “some Filipinos”.

Am I being narrow-minded? My being revolts at the thought of responding when called flip by anyone. Perhaps because I’m not from America, I don’t fully understand the value of turning this negative term into positive. But I do understand why blacks would call each other negro but would be offended if non-blacks do the same.

Perhaps because I grew up in my native soil I just refuse any non-Filipino label. I’m not flip. I’m not a flip. I’m Pinoy. More specifically, I’m Pinay.

How about you? Flip ka ba?

Eureka! I’m young again! hek hek NOT!

Kainis kapag umuulan at tulak-tulak ko ang stroller ni Kelvin. Mas nakakainis pag na-realise kong wala pala akong pera’ng pang-cab.

So kanina’ng umaga ang lakas ng hangin at ang lakas din ng ulan. Bumigat ang pantalon ko sa sobrang basa at para kong naligo uli. Pagdating ko sa opisina, sabi ng opismeyt ko kamusta daw. I was going to reply “I feel like a wet chick” but it doesn’t sound right. Paano ba ita-translate nang maayos yung “Eto parang basa’ng sisiw“?

Sa traffic light may couple na sobrang affected yata ng bed weather, halikan ng halikan. Gusto kong itulak nung nag-green man at sabihan nang “Pwede ba, mamaya na kayo mag-sipsipan ng mukha?“

I kept my cool. Naiinggit lang ako.

Before Kelvin’s nursery opened last month, Kelvin underwent three minor surgeries in one go. I mentioned a number of times that Kelvin has glue ear that affected his speech a great deal. He took a course of antibiotics which helped a little but the persistent fluid didn’t leave his middle ears (yes, he’s got the condition in both ears).

His ENT knows we were reluctant to have the surgery and he suggested we could wait until late summer to see whether the fluid will subside then. When he reported no change in the level of fluid, we scheduled the grommet insertion. Then he also suggested we okay a submucousal diathermy (SMD) and an adenoidectomy.

They all sound ominous and of course we hesitated but the ENT assured us that these were routine procedures here in the UK & almost always done when they have glue ear cases. The grommet insertion is literally inserting tiny grommets in both ear drums. These tubes will let air flow into Kelvin’s middle ears. Most scary, what if the drums are perforated? What if the grommets fall in? or fall off? We prepared a list of questions that filled a legal paper. The ENT and the anaesthesiologist were both very welcoming (one thing that I have yet to encounter when I deal with specialists as an NHS patient! There they’re in a hurry to go & be rid of you.) .

I had SMD by NHS before so we knew what to expect. Basically they’re going to “scrape” the nasal passages to allow him to breathe properly.

And the adenoidectomy will ease his snoring. According to the ENT, the snoring problem and the breathing problems were all caused by the glue ear. I can try to explain but I’m not a medical person. But as you know the nasal cavity leads to the mouth, ear and nose so you can imagine when one area is blocked and not functioning, the others are easily affected & are forced to compensate.

Aside from losing most of the sounds in his ears (thus not hearing properly), Kelvin also tended to snore loudly. And the most obvious symptom was he’s always holding on to his breath, sometimes he doesn’t seem to breathe. The last is called apnea.

Anyway, we prepared Kelvin (as much as we could) & told him what to expect. We prayed. We tried to relax. We brought a number of toys. The hospital staff in the BUPA hospital were fantastic and brought even more toys & games.

But as soon as we left Kelvin in the theatre, tears just started to drop. I couldn’t get his slumped figure out of my head (the anaesthesist played with him & made him breathe in sleeping gas). I felt weak, hubby wasn’t speaking & I didn’t know what he was thinking. We prayed in Kelvin’s assigned room. We tried to be calm. After less than 40 minutes we were told he was out & doing well.

When we got to the Recovery Room, he was very, very upset. I laid down in the bed, hugging him, trying to calm him down & assure him that everything will be okay, that we were there. They wheeled us in his room but he still wouldn’t settle. I knew he wouldn’t sleep, he wanted the emergency access (butterfly) taken out of his foot. The head nurse concurred and after 2-3 minutes he was asleep.

I knew he wasn’t hurt. It was waking up in a strange room with strange people that got to him. I just held my tongue instead of telling them off for not calling us sooner so we could be there when he woke. It was done & he was safe.

When Kelvin woke up after 2 hours, he was his old self - smiling, playful, cheeky self. The head nurse, Jo, gave him some ice lollies then ice cream (recommended for his throat). He was so happy to have so much fruit juice and not be told off for drinking them in one go. He ate his lunch and played some more.

waiting @ the hospital lobby

before his trip to the theatre

after his post-surgery nap

the brave boy enjoying all his goodies

one very relieved mum

asking me to remove his name tag

Dr Kelvin treating Daddy before he’d let Dad treat him!

His anaesthesist, then Jo from the ward, and then his ENT all called the following week asking how the little one’s doing. We were told to use ear putty to cover his ears while in the shower. Then after 4 weeks, the ENT gave him two-thumbs up. Everything’s healed properly. Now we notice he doesn’t hold his breath, he doesn’t snore like his dad, and he doesn’t scratch his ears anymore! In fact, he doesn’t produce as much ear wax as before. We’re going to see his ENT in 6 months to have a proper hearing test to assess his progress & hearing level.

I’m really glad that we decided to keep BUPA. It was reassuring to be surrounded by people who seemed really concern about their patient. Everyone made us feel safe. Jo was an angel, she’s a true nurse always checking on Kelvin and going above & beyond her duties. In fact, she took it upon herself to save us some dough by bringing us lunch & tea so we wouldn’t be charge for it! She advised us about the take home meds (not covered by BUPA) so that we don’t buy excessive amount.

I really think on that day Kelvin’s Guardian Angels were working full time to make sure everything goes smoothly. We’re hoping now that his hearing and speech catch-up with his age.

As I mentioned before, Kelvin’s school break allowed us time to see more of London and spend time together. If you read my article in PMN you’ll remember I mentioned I took Kelvin to see the dinos in the Natural History Museum. Those are subjects that my son never tires of. In fact, he has a plastic container of toy dino’s (definitely bigger that Harry’s bucket!).

Perhaps you’d like to see what Kelvin and his Kuya PJ saw and did? I used a slideshow & endeavoured to put meaningful tags on them. Here are some highlights anyway:

NHM has an Earth section where they feature the minerals, events etc having to do with our planet. What’s new was PINATUBO. It is part of their updated exhibit for the volcanic activities on Earth.

PJ, a normally quiet guy suddenly called out “Tita, Pilipinas o!” It was really an interesting exhibit. They showed news reel and videos of the eruption, the lava flow and the aftermath. They even created a diorama of the “ghost towns” complete with the ash fall.

NHM’s latest free attraction was the interactive learning centre. We almost missed it if not for Kelvin’s wandering feet. We went to the basement where people have the entire space to eat their packed food, and veering to the left which I remember as a mini-courtyard, turned out to be the best place in the Museum.

Kids & adults were allowed to get up close and personal with specimens. There were tools to measure them or perhaps look at them closely like magnifying glass & microscopes & even cameras that project to a screen! Then you can access a dB where you can learn more about what you’re looking at.

I was truly amazed that Kelvin seemed to know how to use everything! The guide (there are so many friendly staff that as soon as you enter, one of them will immediately approach you) told us once what we can do in the place & Kelvin nodded & headed to the rows of cabinets. He picked one with insects & proceeded to use the camera. He attempted to use the microscopes but the eyepieces were still too high. I tried to lift him, but that’s not going to last, my arms will break.

The place even have dried anaconda skin that we can roll & unroll. Kuya PJ & Kelvin tried on a shark jaw. They played with a stuffed sea turtle. We looked at ant colonies. And Kelvin saw his first human skeleton (plastic only) - and insisted it’s a dinosaur! Well who can blame him, all the bones he saw on the upper floor were dinosaurs’.

What really caught the two boys’ attention were the pools of water with living organisms in them. I think we stayed in that section for at least 15minutes, the two just huddled, head down, looking at these tiny creatures (there were cards on the side to tell you what they are).

The only downside of the trip was during lunchtime when Kelvin wanted to eat some crisps because Kuya PJ had one. The thing is he already has one, but he wanted PJ’s… ayayay. Kulang na lang magpakarga sa Kuya nya! I have a feeling he would trade me for his Kuya.

Anyway, after the Museum, I brought them to the Tower of London. We didn’t go in, it was already late & besides there was a fee ‘no! It was enough just to walk around the area, have the two run around (actually Kelvin did the running & shouting) while I sit in the shade with a cool breeze.

Before we dropped PJ home we stopped by McDonald’s. Everybody was happy and satisfied.

I have been racking my brains how to best start this post because I do not want to be accused of having “conflicting interests”. Cheng, a friend from Uni, started an online venture a few months ago and has recently flagged me on PPP to post about it. I was reluctant to accept the direct offer made from PPP as I would have done it for free. In fact, I kept chiding myself for not doing so earlier.

Just to make it clear, yes this is post is a direct hire from PPP. But the venture I’m going to talk about is not just based on a paid blogging opportunity’s description, but based on what I found out when I tested the site and based on Cheng’s ideas about a pro-Filipino portal.

Cheng is a Filipino mother based in Laguna. I met her in 1994 when I joined an acad organisation and she attempted to scare the heck out of me and my batchmates. She’s like most mums I met online, open-minded, vocal, has a strong personality, bright and hopeful of the Philippines’ future. She’s taught IT for a good number of years and recently decided that she wanted to empower herself and also give something back in her own way. Thus “HoPeS UP” was born.

So just what is “HoPeS UP”?
You can look at “HoPeS UP” as a web portal for any service you might be looking for that specifically caters for Filipino – service providers and clients alike. The idea is if the site gains as many subscribers then potentially this can be a one-stop shop for nearly anything.

Most consumers, especially Filipinos, rely on “word of mouth” in terms of referral to specialist needs. “HoPeS UP” takes that value in consideration and aims to house all those information in one place accessible by everyone in the world.

You need a builder? You need a nanny? Or perhaps you want a web designer? Or a wedding planner? Then if “HoPeS UP” gain enough subscription, potentially you find all that by setting the appropriate filters on the Search facility on the site.

What can “HoPeS UP” do for you?
“HoPeS UP’s” main target is listing businesses, be it a professional service or consultancy or teams of people or proper business venture. BUT it’s NOT LIMITED to just that.

“HoPeS UP” also offers “Affiliate Membership”, an option to earn at your own pace without leaving your comfort zone. Stay-At-Home-Mums (SAHMs) can easily be Work-At-Home-Mums (WAHMs). Those looking to supplement their regular income can look at this as a potential second job. In fact, I considered joining in June but then the homefront situation changed, making it difficult for me to commit to anything. Perhaps next year I will.

“HoPeS UP” also supports people looking to pay into charities or foundations.

Why am I even posting this?
Because I believe in what “HoPeS UP’s” trying to achieve. Like me Cheng of “HoPeS UP” believes that modern Filipinos have the talent, skills and resources to succeed. We just need to help create more opportunities for our community to leverage that pool. Perhaps with this venture, we don’t just hope, we can actually do it.

Need more information?
Check out the site (you’ll also find a link from my sidebar): http://hopesup.com/
Or get in touch: simplify(at)hopesup(dot)com

If you live in the UK or if you live to watch the goings-on in the money market, then you’re familiar with the problems reported with the financial giant Northern Rock. If not, then here’s the gist: Eventhough the Rock’s market is the UK, it was affected by the growing mortgage problems in the USA. Major lenders turned it down for a fund injection. BUT the Bank of England loaned them an undisclosed sum to tide them over (an unprecedented move). AND the Chancellor spoke to say that there’s no need to panic as they guarantee that the savings accounts are not affected by the problem at all.

Anyway, as expected the savings account holders were queueing around the UK, cashing in. The shares of Northern Rock continue to plummet. And a colleague and myself have been speculating whether we ought to buy some of those as a likely buyout can trigger an upsurge. Anyway I can go on & on about boring details & market news but that’s not what my post is about.

My corner of the office faces a Northern Rock branch. The morning of the news about their problems, I noticed a man taking pictures across the street. I didn’t think anything of it, our office is next to the gherkin so I assumed it was just another tourist. Then before I lunched I looked out again & I saw two photographes in the same spot as the first. Ah! So I whipped out my Nokia & took their pictures.

the photographers… I wonder how much they earn…

That was Friday. Then this morning, I saw a queue of mostly OAPs were already there! The queue would have grown longer had the branch remained shut for a while longer. By around lunchtime we saw staff giving away FREE coffee! I wanted to sprint & stand at the end of the queue for a while, freebies make me do strange things. The branch also put a burly doorman in front of the queue and a blonde woman just inside the main door.

the queue at around 730am

…and around 10am

I wonder what sight awaits me tomorrow?